Sputum Culture / Sensitivity Test in Kathmandu

About this test

When a chest infection refuses to settle, this test tells your doctor exactly which bacterium is growing in your airways and precisely which antibiotic will clear it. A sample of phlegm coughed up from deep in the lungs is placed on culture plates; over the next two to three days any disease-causing organism — common culprits include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus aureus — multiplies enough to be identified. The laboratory then performs the sensitivity (antibiotic susceptibility) step, testing the isolated organism against a panel of drugs to report which ones it responds to and which it resists. Doctors order it for a productive cough lasting more than a few days, fever with green, yellow or blood-streaked sputum, pneumonia that is not improving on first-choice antibiotics, and flare-ups of chronic bronchitis, COPD or bronchiectasis. It is especially valuable when an infection has already failed empirical treatment, allowing therapy to be switched from broad-spectrum guesswork to a targeted drug — an important safeguard against the rising antibiotic resistance seen across Nepal. A routine culture does not detect tuberculosis, so if TB is suspected your doctor will request a separate AFB smear or GeneXpert test alongside it; the two are often sent together when a chronic cough is being investigated in Kathmandu. Results are interpreted with your symptoms, chest X-ray and white-cell count, and the quality of the sample matters — a good deep-cough specimen gives a far more reliable answer than saliva.

Sample type

Sputum (deep-cough respiratory sample)

Preparation

No fasting required. Collect the sample first thing in the morning before eating or brushing — rinse your mouth with plain water, then cough deeply from the chest to bring up phlegm rather than saliva. Avoid starting antibiotics before the sample is given, as this can mask the organism.

Turnaround time

Reports for Sputum Culture / Sensitivity are typically ready within: 72 Hours. Reports can be collected at the clinic during opening hours or shared via WhatsApp once they are ready.

Also known as

Other microbiology tests we run

These are routinely ordered alongside Sputum Culture / Sensitivity or as part of the same diagnostic workup.

How to book

WhatsApp is the fastest way — message us with the test name and your preferred time, and we'll confirm a slot the same day. You can also walk into the clinic at Rumba Chowk, Sanobharang any day between 7AM and 8PM, or fill in our online booking form.