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Pus without bacteria

Pebblesetc

Pebblesetc

Mama Doe
We had the pus from Buckley's leg cultured, and the results have finally come in... negative for any bacteria.
I'm just wondering how the pus might have formed and collected as a swelling if there is no bacteria causing an infection.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated :)
Thankies xo
 
I would question whether it's been tested correctly. Ask them whether they ran a positive control with your sample to check that the test worked, they may or may not do this. Also ask whether they do growth promotion tests on the media used for culturing, this is where they don't check it concurrently with your sample but they do check the media is capable of growing bacteria.
Also ask if they just screened for aerobic bacteria, if so get another sample and get it screened for anaerobic bacteria.
 
RedFraggle said:
I would question whether it's been tested correctly. Ask them whether they ran a positive control with your sample to check that the test worked, they may or may not do this. Also ask whether they do growth promotion tests on the media used for culturing, this is where they don't check it concurrently with your sample but they do check the media is capable of growing bacteria.
Also ask if they just screened for aerobic bacteria, if so get another sample and get it screened for anaerobic bacteria.
Click to expand...

Def second that one
 
Isn't pus the body's inflammatory response to bacterial infection? So the fact that pus is there tells you that bacteria must be there somewhere, regardless of what the C&S result is. I guess perhaps the likelihood is that the active infection is residing somewhere towards the membranes of the body at the edge of the pus rather than within the pus itself - that's one of the reasons it's so difficult to get a C&S result from snuffly bunnies, because the infection is deep in the nasal cavities where the swab can't reach. In my experience, a negative C&S only tells you that no (live?) bacteria were found in that sample, not that it can be conclusively proved that there is no infection.

Good luck, I do hope you get answers for your little fluffster xxx
 
He hadn't been on abx for several months prior to this incident.
I'm going to call the vets and ask them about the things you lovely people have mentioned. I thought it was a bit odd for there to be pus and no bacteria.
Unfortunately any future swab may now have been compromised by the fact she sent him home with some baytril, which he has been taking.
She gave us 10 days worth of baytril as by then she expected to have C&S results in so we could establish the best antibiotic for the infection. Since being on the baytril he's definitely perked up so I'm wondering if it would be worth (in the absence of an uncertain c&s results) to continue with the full 28 day course of baytril (which is what she seemed to think would be needed to fully clear up the infection) and see how it goes?

I'm going to call this afternoon, and we're taking him in for a check up when we finish this lot of baytril.
 
This has happened to me a few times. When Molly has a pus abscess on her hock, they have taken a C&S and I think once it came back negative. It cost £70 as well. :roll: And they said that it meant there was no bacteria, but how can there be an abscess with pus if there's no bacteria? :? The other time they took an C&S, it came back that Baytril would work best, and we had been using it anyway with no effect. :roll: (in the end, we just drain it, use normal AB and pain relief, and this usually works).
 
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