Acceptable Specimens:
Abdominal, ascites, bile, joint, paracentesis, pericardial, peritoneal, pleural, synovial, or thoracentesis fluid
1. Submit fluid in a screw-capped, sterile tube.
2. Label tube with patient’s name (first and last), date and time of collection, and type of specimen.
3. Maintain sterility and forward promptly at ambient temperature only.
Note: 1. Specimen source is required.
2. Do not refrigerate.
3. For large volume specimen (> 2 mL), a red, non-gel tube will support viability of most micro organisms for up to 24 hours.
4. For small volume specimen (<2 mL), small synovial specimen is more vulnerable to oxygen exposure and drying. A Port-A-Cul® Fluid Collection Kit, available from laboratory, will provide optimal conditions for recovery for up to 24 hours.
5. A teal and pink top swabs may also be submitted.
Conventional Culture Techniques
No growth
Monday through Sunday
87075-Source
87077-Aerobic isolate (if appropriate)
87186-Per organism for routine battery (if appropriate)