Small intestine aspirate and culture is a laboratory test to check for infection in the small intestine.

Your doctor may order this test if you have signs of an infection of the intestinal tract. This usually is not the first test that would be done.

Normally, small amounts of bacteria are present in the small intestine and do not cause disease. However, the test may be done when your doctor suspects that overgrowth of intestinal bacteria is causing diarrhea.

A sample of fluid from the small intestine is needed. This requires a procedure called an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). For more information on this procedure, see EGD.

The fluid is placed in a special dish in the laboratory and observed for growth of organisms. This is called a culture.

The laboratory culture test does not involve the patient. For information on how the test to obtain the sample feels, see the article on EGD.