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Specimen Collection Manual: Tissue or Wound/Lesion, Fluid Collection - Bacterial, Fungal, AFB

Instructions

Materials/Supplies

• Sterile non-bacteriostatic saline.
• Sterile 10 cc syringes.
• Sterile screw-capped collection containers.
• ESwab Collection System.

Wound/Lesion (Skin, Sub-Cutaneous) Site Preparation Instructions

• Decontaminate the site with surgical soap and 70% ethyl or isopropyl alcohol.
• Rinse the wound well with sterile, non-bacteriostatic saline and allow to dry.

Specimen Collection Criteria

• Wearing a sterile glove, separate the wound margins with the thumb and forefinger of one hand or to make a small opening in a closed abscess with a sterile scalpel blade.
• Extend the tip of the swab into the depths of the wound/lesion.
• Place the swab into transport media and send to the Laboratory immediately. The specimen is stable at room temperature (20-26°C or 68-78.8°F) for up to 8 hours.
  • Alternately, fluid may be aspirated from a wound with a sterile syringe. That specimen can be placed into a sterile, screw-capped collection container for transport to the Laboratory.
• Collect tissues and fluids aseptically taking care to prevent cross-contamination when specimens are taken from multiple sites. Use different tubes for specimens from different sites.
• Autopsy specimens should be collected within 24 hours of the time of death.

Minimum Specimen Requirements*

Type of Culture	Specimen Type	Minimum Quantity
Anaerobic	Sterile Fluid	1.0 mL
Anaerobic	Sterile Tissue	5-10 mm3
Aerobic	Sterile Fluid (Not CSF)	2-4 mL (AFB requires another 5 mL)
Aerobic	Sterile Tissue	5-10 mm3

Rejection Criteria

• Do not submit tissues for culture in formalin, or in containers that ever contained formalin.
• Do not use expired media. Check expiration date on all media prior to use.
• Swab specimens are unacceptable for AFB Cultures.

Reference

*Lynne S. Garcia, Editor-in-Chief. Specimen Collection, Transport, and Acceptability, Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook, 3^rd Edition. ASM Press. Washington, D.C., 2010.

Contacts

Last Updated

10/10/2019