UCx

Medical abbreviation · Laboratory Test

UCx
Stands forUrine culture
CategoriesMedical

UCx stands for Urine culture, a laboratory test abbreviation.

Quantitative culture of urine that counts colony-forming units (CFU) per milliliter, identifies the organism and tests antibiotic susceptibility. In a clean-catch sample, 100,000 CFU/mL or more of a single organism has long been the standard threshold, with lower counts significant in catheter specimens and symptomatic patients.

Example: UCx: more than 100K E. coli, resistant to ciprofloxacin; nitrofurantoin started.

Usage notes

Bacteria in the urine without symptoms (asymptomatic bacteriuria) generally should not be treated, with pregnancy and urologic procedures as the main exceptions under IDSA guidance. Mixed growth of several organisms usually indicates contamination. Specimens from long-term catheters should come from a freshly placed catheter.

More laboratory test abbreviations

  • TSAT – Transferrin saturation
  • TSH – Thyroid-stimulating hormone
  • TT – Thrombin time
  • U&E – Urea and electrolytes
  • UA – Urinalysis
  • UACR – Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio
  • UDS – Urine drug screen
  • UPT – Urine pregnancy test
  • VBG – Venous blood gas
  • VDRL – Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test
  • VLDL – Very-low-density lipoprotein
  • WBC – White blood cell count

See all 135 laboratory test abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.