Urethra Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.

Epithelial cells in large numbers within sputum smears means that the specimen is predominantly oral saliva, rather than true sputum from the lung. Epithelial cells in urine smears indicate that the sample has been contaminated by organisms found on the vulva or distal urethra. Bacteria found near or on epithelial cells are usually normal contaminating bacterial flora.White blood cells indicate inflammation and possible infection. The direct smear examination should focus within and around these cells.Red blood cells in a direct smear are not usually significant.Yeast may be present as normal flora in upper respiratory tract or genital tract. They may be significant if they predominate, or if budding yeast forms are seen.Hyphae are more likely to indicate the presence of fungal infection, but this determination requires correlation with clinical findings.Bacteria found in spinal fluid, blood, tissue and specimens from other sterile sites are always significant.Body fluids which are normally sterile must be examined carefully. If only one organism per oil immersion field is identified, then there are about 105 organisms per mL present in the sample! Bacteria observed in specimens from the throat, genital tract and other areas containing normal flora suggest infection only if their composition and type varies significantly from the norm.

Cells which may be present in the urine include epithelial cells, white blood cells (WBC) and red blood cells (RBC). The epithelial cells in the urine may originate from any site in the genitourinary tract. It is normal to find a few epithelial cells in the sediment. White blood cells may enter the urinary tract anywhere from the glomerulus to the urethra. The WBCs are mostly neutrophils. Red blood cells may originate in any part of the urinary tract. Normally, RBCs do not appear in the urine, although the presence of a few RBCs is not considered abnormal.