<![CDATA[Background: Bacteriological examination, particularly bacterial culture, is a standard method for diagnosing infectious diseases, including in patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM). However, the limited availability and high cost of semi-synthetic culture media pose significant challenges, especially in regions such as North Maluku, including Ternate City. These constraints have encouraged the exploration of alternative culture media, one of which utilizes tuna-based ingredients. This alternative is expected to be applicable for urine culture tests in DM patients and to enhance the technical competencies of laboratory personnel. Nevertheless, the utilization of tuna as a component of alternative media for microbiological diagnostic purposes remains suboptimal. Methods: The activity was conducted in the form of community outreach in Dufa-Dufa Subdistrict through lectures, presentations, discussions, and evaluations using pre-tests and post-tests. The materials delivered focused on diabetes mellitus and the use of alternative media in microbiological examinations. Results: The results indicated a significant improvement in participants understanding. Initially, 51% of participants had no knowledge of DM and laboratory testing, which decreased to 0% after the educational session. The percentage of participants with moderate understanding declined from 44% to 0%, while those with good understanding increased from 5% to 49%, and those with excellent understanding rose from 0% to 51%. Additionally, the results of urine culture tests on patients with diabetes mellitus using tuna-based media showed that 90% of participants showed bacterial growth and 10% showed no bacterial growth. Conclusion: This initiative demonstrates that locally sourced alternative media hold promise as a feasible solution for laboratory diagnostics. Furthermore, the activity effectively raised community awareness regarding the importance of early detection of potential infections in patients with diabetes mellitus. Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Urine culture, Alternative media, Laboratory diagnostics]]>
