Accurate patient histories provided with sample submissions are incredibly important to help the Bacteriology lab provide our clients with the best possible guidance toward diagnosis of disease. Including present and past history in relation to the current event, such as any antimicrobial treatments or previous testing, will allow us to comprehensively interpret culture results.  Organisms that may not be significant in a clinically "normal" specimen could be viewed with much more importance in an animal with a chronic disease, recurrent infection or immunocompromised state of health.  Certain types of medical situations may also benefit from a longer culture incubation period if the laboratory has knowledge of this, allowing for recovery of slow-growing pathogens that may otherwise be missed.