Specimen Requirements

Submit only 1 of the following specimens:

Acceptable Specimens:

Corneal scraping, ear, lesions, or skin scraping

Corneal Scraping

1. Collect corneal scraping in sterile cup (use saline to prevent dehydration) or on swab.
2. Return swab to sterile culture transport container.

3. Label cup/container with patient’s name (first and last), hospital identification number or date of birth, date and time of specimen collection, and source of specimen.

4. Maintain sterility and forward promptly at ambient temperature only. 

5. Causes for rejection:
A. Inadequately labeled specimen
B. Improper container
C. Insufficient specimen volume
Note:

1. Specimen source is required.

2. Whenever possible, bacteriological examinations should be carried out before antibiotic therapy is instituted.

3. Gram stain is available but not routinely performed on swabs obtained above the waist.

Ear

1. Obtain specimen from infected site.
2. Insert culture swab into ear.
3. Return swab to sterile culture transport container.

4. Label container with patient’s name (first and last), hospital identification number or date of birth, date and time of specimen collection, and source of specimen.

5. Maintain sterility and forward promptly at ambient temperature only.

6. Causes for rejection:
A. Inadequately labeled specimen
B. Improper container
C. Insufficient specimen volume
Note:

1. Specimen source is required.

2. Whenever possible, bacteriological examinations should be carried out before antibiotic therapy is instituted.

3. Gram stain is available but not routinely performed on swabs obtained above the waist.

4. Throat cultures for Corynebacterium diptheriae are collected on Culturettes and submitted to reference laboratory. Keep swab at ambient temperature.

Lesion

1. Obtain specimen from infected site.
2. Insert culture swab into lesion.
3. Return swab to sterile culture transport container.

4. Label container with patient’s name (first and last), hospital identification number or date of birth, date and time of specimen collection, and source of specimen.

5. Maintain sterility and forward promptly at ambient temperature only.

6. Causes for rejection:
A. Inadequately labeled specimen
B. Improper container
C. Insufficient specimen volume
Note:

1. Specimen source is required.

2. Whenever possible, bacteriological examinations should be carried out before antibiotic therapy is instituted.

3. If indicated, cultures are examined for anaerobes. However, if anaerobes are suspected as the primary etiologic agent, an anaerobically collected specimen with appropriate request form must be submitted. Anaerobic culture is only set up on appropriate sources (see #ANCU “Culture, Anaerobic”).

4. Gram stain is available but not routinely performed on swabs obtained above the waist.

Skin Scraping
1. Clean skin with 70% alcohol.
2. Scrape advancing edge of lesion and send in a screw-capped, sterile tube or Petri dish.

3. Label tube/Petri dish with patient’s name (first and last), hospital identification number or date of birth, date and time of specimen collection, and source of specimen.

4. Maintain sterility and forward promptly at ambient temperature only.

5. Causes for rejection:
A. Inadequately labeled specimen
B. Improper container
C. Insufficient specimen volume
Note:

1. Specimen source is required.

2. Whenever possible, bacteriological examinations should be carried out before antibiotic therapy is instituted.

3. Gram stain is available but not routinely performed on swabs obtained above the waist.