Culture records are used only within the microbiology workflow. In SEDRI‑LIMS, a culture record captures the results of performing a physical culture on an inoculum derived from a specimen. Multiple culture records may be created for a single specimen, allowing different culture outcomes and isolates to be documented independently.
Although culture forms can be customised, the default form allows the user to record the following information for each culture result:
- Culture Type: Defines the microbiological focus of the culture, e.g. routine, fungal, melioidosis, etc.
- Manufacturer’s Barcode: Captures any barcode already associated with the culture container, i.e. not assigned by SEDRI-LIMS.
- Quantity: The extent of growth of lack thereof.
- Result Date and Time: The date and time of final growth assessment.
- Organism Identity and Certainty: The organism or organism category established and the associated confidence level.
- Comments: Additional information provided in the form of standard (pre-defined) and/or free-text comments.
- Aliquot ID: A reference to the archived isolate.
Because culture records can contain a wide range of information, the appropriate point in the workflow to create them may vary according to local procedures. Some laboratories may choose to create a culture record at the time of incubation, recording only the culture type being prepared. Others may prefer to wait until the entire process is complete and all organisms have been identified. As culture records can be updated repeatedly to add or amend information, SEDRI-LIMS provides full flexibility to support either approach and any in between.
Cultures can be added, viewed, edited and deleted within the context of a specimen record-view, where an embedded list is provided, though the available actions are subject to both specimen workflow state and user permissions (see: Understanding Menu Permissions).
Other actions that can be performed on a culture include:
- Add Culture Test: Add a test to capture the result of an isolate test, such as those used for identification and for resistance mechanism detection.
- AST Tests: Record the results of susceptibility testing.
The basic culture actions (add, view, edit, and delete) are described in the following sections. Culture tests and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) are covered in subsequent sections as they are more extensive topics and have their own overview sections.