Contamination of a urine specimen from skin or urethral opening can lead to which result?

• A. False-negative result.
• B. No change in results.
• C. False-positive result for infection.
• D. Faster lab processing.

Answer: (C)

Contamination of a urine sample with bacteria from the skin or urethra can introduce organisms that aren’t causing a urinary tract infection into the specimen. When the lab analyzes the sample, these contaminant bacteria may grow or trigger findings that suggest infection, producing a false-positive result for infection. This is why proper collection techniques, like clean-catch midstream collection and thoroughly cleaning the genital area beforehand, are essential to avoid misinterpretation. Contamination doesn’t inherently cause a true false-negative, and faster lab processing doesn’t address the accuracy issue.