QUEST LABORATORY MICROBIOLOGY SPECIMEN COLLECTION PROCEDURES *
Effective Date:
Fri, 07/01/2005
Reviewed:
Mon, 02/03/2020
Revised:
Tue, 02/13/2018 Policy:
| SPECIMEN | COLLECTION COMMENTS | STORAGE FOR TRANSPORT |
| Blood | Aerobic and Anaerobic Bactec bottles, draw aerobic bottle first with aseptic technique | Room Temperature |
| Chlamydia Culture | V-C-M medium(green top) tube | Refrigerate |
| Chlamydia Aptima swab | Hologic Aptima Transfer Tube with Blue swab | Refrigerate |
| Chlamydia/GC (Urine) | Hologic Aptima Urine Specimen Collection Kit | Refrigerate |
| Ear/Eye Culture | Amies culturette (blue top) | Room Temperature |
| Fungal Culture | Must state source; any culturette; hair, skin etc in clean cup | Room Temperature |
| Genital Culture | Amies culturette (blue top) | Room Temperature |
| Giardia Antigen | 10% Formalin container required (black top) | Room temperature |
| Gram Stain | Blue amies swab | Room temperature |
| Herpes Culture | V-C-M medium(green top) tube | 1. Room Temperature |
| Nasopharyngeal Culture | 1. Viral = V-C-M medium(green top) tube 2. Bacterial = Wire mini-tip with Amies culturette (green top) |
Room Temperature |
| Ova and Parasites | Total Fix -Formalin (black tops) | Room Temperature |
| Stool Culture | 1. Cary-Blair (orange or yellow top) container required | Room Temperature |
| " " | 2. Amies culturette (blue top) if QNS specimen | Room Temperature |
| " " | Indicate if E. coli 0157, Vibrio or Yersenia | Room Temperature |
| Stool for WBCs | Formalin container (black top) | Room Temperature |
| Sputum Culture | Sterile screw top container, swabs not acceptable | Refrigerate |
| Ureaplasma/Mycoplasma | V-C-M medium(green top) tube | Refrigerate |
| Urine Culture | C&S tube (grey top): located in drawer below Chemstrip 101 | Refrigerate |
| Wound Culture | Amies culturette (blue top); indicate source. Clean surface wounds first to avoid contamination | Room Temperature |