Cultures - meconium

Alternative names:

meconium stool culture

Normal values:

Normal values show no organisms in the meconium stool of the newborn.

What abnormal results mean:

An abnormal finding indicates bacterial growth in the meconium stool. This is of concern since the infant immune system is underdeveloped and unprepared for an onslaught of invading organisms. Therefore a newborn infection could lead to newborn sepsis.

Update Date: 02/09/00
Updated by: J. Gordon Lambert, MD, Associate Medical Director, Utah Health Informatics and adam.com editorial