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Choose collection locationMicrobiology & PCR · Individual laboratory test
Respiratory Bacteria Panel (8 Bacteria)
One nasal-region swab is examined for eight listed bacterial targets associated with respiratory illness. The report is restricted to those targets.
Price for this test on its ownAED 300
Clinical authorDr Nirupama SabhapathySpecialist Clinical Pathology
- Sample
- Nasopharyngeal Swab
- Laboratory turnaround
- 24 to 48 hours
- Collection
- Dubai
- Laboratory
- Intel Lab
Understanding the test
What does the Respiratory Bacteria Panel (8 Bacteria) test measure?
A clinician may select this panel when particular bacterial respiratory causes are being considered and several could produce similar symptoms.
When it may be requested
Considering a bacterial respiratory cause
The panel checks eight listed bacterial targets from the relevant respiratory specimen.
Making sense of a positive finding
Symptoms and collection site help distinguish a meaningful detection from carriage.
Inside this test
What the laboratory looks for
Chest and sinus bacteria
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Haemophilus influenzae
- Moraxella catarrhalis
Atypical pneumonia
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae
- Chlamydophila pneumoniae
- Legionella pneumophila
Whooping cough
- Bordetella pertussis
- Bordetella parapertussis
Before your sample
Prepare for collection
SpecimenNasopharyngeal Swab
Your checklist
No fasting is required. Confirm nasal spray or rinse timing with the collector and report antibiotics already taken and when respiratory symptoms began.
A trained professional takes a sample from the nose using the swab specified for this test. You may briefly feel discomfort or watery eyes.
Smart Report
Understanding your result
24 to 48 hoursLaboratory turnaround
Result guideRespiratory Bacteria Panel (8 Bacteria)
Reading your result
The eight targets are examined individually. A detection in the upper airway may represent carriage; a negative panel does not exclude bacteria outside the list.
What can affect it
- A molecular panel does not provide the complete susceptibility information of a culture.
From sample to follow-up
Your testing journey
Laboratory testRespiratory Bacteria Panel (8 Bacteria)
- Specimen
- Nasopharyngeal Swab
- Turnaround
- 24 to 48 hours
Open your laboratory report
Look for Respiratory Bacteria Panel (8 Bacteria) in your report. Use the sample type and collection time when comparing it with an earlier report.
Explore Smart Report
Discuss the next step
Ask whether the named organism fits the clinical illness or could reflect carriage at the sampled site.
Health packages
Packages that include this test
Compare the other tests in each package before choosing.
Clinical expertise
Your laboratory team
Patient questions
Before you book
Does detecting a bacterium mean I need antibiotics?
Not automatically. Some bacteria can be present without causing the current illness. Your symptoms, examination and other findings guide that decision.
Why use PCR when sputum culture already exists?
Culture is excellent for organisms that grow readily and it provides antibiotic susceptibility, but several bacteria on this panel are slow, fragile or need special media, and they are commonly missed. PCR looks for their genetic signature instead of asking them to survive and multiply, so it detects them more reliably and much sooner. The two approaches complement each other rather than compete.
Why is the panel negative when I clearly have a chest infection?
The panel looks for eight specific bacteria and nothing else. Many chest infections are viral, some are caused by bacteria outside this panel, and in a deep-seated pneumonia the organism may no longer be present in the upper airway where the swab is taken. A negative panel narrows the possibilities without closing the question.
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Your next step
Respiratory Bacteria Panel (8 Bacteria) test at home.
Sources & further reading
Written by Dr Nirupama Sabhapathy, Specialist Clinical Pathology. Medically reviewed by Dr Joyce Jose, Specialist Clinical Pathology, on .
Catalogue information and AED price checked on 2 November 2026. Clinical suitability, preparation, collection arrangements and turnaround are confirmed for your selected test.