Specimen Requirements

Specimen source and suspected fungal species are required

Specimen Type: Wound, Deep or Superficial, Abscess

Container/Tube: ESwab collection kit

Specimen Volume: Adequate amount

Collection Instructions:

1. Prepare site, wash wound margins well with antiseptic soap, and rinse with sterile saline.
2. Break surface of wound. Pass ESwab deep into abscess and sample lesion’s advancing edge, taking care to avoid contamination with other normal flora.
3. Aseptically unscrew and remove the cap from the tube.
4. Insert the ESwab into the tube and break the swab shaft at the breakpoint indicated by the colored line marked on the swab shaft. Discard the remaining broken portion of the swab shaft. Replace cap on the tube and secure tightly.
5. Label tube with patient’s name (first and last), date, actual time of collection, and type of specimen.

Specimen Type: Tissue or Body Fluid: abdominal, ascites, bile, pericardial, peritoneal, pleural fluid, synovial fluid, serous fluid, or closed abscess.

Container/Tube: Screw-capped, sterile container

Acceptable: Syringe (needle removed)

Specimen Volume: Entire specimen

Collection Instructions:

1. Disinfect overlaying skin with chlorhexidine gluconate.
2. Using needle and syringe, aspirate fluid.
3. Transfer entire volume of aspirated fluid to vial, container, or leave in syringe.
4. If submitting specimen in syringe, remove needle and cap syringe.
5. Label vial/container/syringe with patient’s name (first and last), date and actual time of collection.

Specimen Type: Spinal fluid

Container/Tube: Screw-capped, sterile CSF tube

Specimen Minimum Volume: 1 mL

Collection Instructions:

1. Label tube(s) with patient’s name (first and last), date and actual time of collection, and in order of collection 1, 2, 3, etc.
2. Maintain sterility and forward promptly. Do not send by pneumatic tube. This test will be performed on tube #2 or #3 of tubes submitted from spinal fluid collection.

Specimen Type: Cervix, endocervix, vaginal

Container/Tube: ESwab

Specimen Volume: Adequate amount

Collection Instructions:

1. Do not use lubricant on speculum.
2. Remove excess mucus, blood, and/or examination lubricants from cervix.

3. Insert swab and rotate swab for 15 to 30 seconds to ensure adequate sampling.
4. Return swab to transport tube.

5. Label tube with patient’s name (first and last), date and actual time of collection, and type of specimen.

*Note: Refer to Affirm testing (NBLD0373 VAGINITIS PROBE) to rule out Candida yeast infections.

Specimen Type: Urethra

Container/Tube: Male Urethral Swab

Specimen Volume: Adequate amount

Collection Instructions:

1. Patient should not have urinated for at least 1 hour prior to specimen collection.
2. Insert small-tipped specimen swab 2 cm to 4 cm into urethra and rotate swab for 3 to 5 seconds to ensure adequate sampling.
3. Return swab to transport tube.
4. Label tube with patient’s name (first and last), date and actual time of collection, and type of specimen.

Specimen Type: Sputum-expectorated

Container/Tube: Tightly-sealing, screw-capped, sterile container

Specimen Volume: Adequate amount

Collection Instructions:

Note: Patient should not have eaten prior to collection.  Specimen should be a single, first-morning, “deep-cough” sputum specimen.

1. Have patient remove dentures (if applicable).
2. Instruct patient to brush his/her teeth and/or rinse mouth well with water.
3. Instruct patient to take a deep breath, hold it momentarily, and cough deeply and vigorously into container.
4. Label container with patient’s name (first and last), date and actual time of collection, and type of specimen.

Specimen Rejection:  Nasal secretions or saliva will be rejected.

Specimen Type: Fresh raw stool

Container/Tube: CLEAN VIAL (White top vial with no added preservatives)

Acceptable: Sterile container

Specimen Volume: 5 mL

Collection Instructions:

1. Collect liquid or loose stool.
2. Transfer stool to container.
3. Label container with patient’s name (first and last), date and actual time of collection.

Specimen Type: Preserved stool (in enteric transport medium)

Container/Tube: (Cary Blair Medium) Orange top vial containing 5 ml of transport medium

Specimen Volume: 5 mL

Collection Instructions:

1. Collect liquid or loose stool.
2. Place enough stool in the transport media to reach the "FILL LINE" indicated on vial.
3. DO NOT overfill the transport or dump transport media out.
4. Carefully break up the specimen and swirl the contents until thoroughly mixed using the spork attached to the cap.
5. Label vial with patient’s name (first and last), date and actual time of collection.