Specimen Requirements

1. The best specimen for anaerobic culture is obtained by using a needle and syringe.
2. Tissue samples and biopsy samples are also accepted.
3. When a swab must be used to collect a specimen, use a white eswab (#72732). Special care must be taken to sample the active site of infection. Anaerobic swabs are the least desirable specimen due to small volume, greater chance of contamination with normal microbiota, excessive dryness and bacterial adherence to cotton fibers.

Abscess: Submit only 1 of the following specimens:

• PREFERRED: Aspirate

            Container/Tube: Capped sterile syringe or sterile container

            Specimen Volume: 0.5 mL of aspirate

            Collection Instructions: collect from closed abscess using sterile syringe as follows:

1.  Disinfect skin surface with 70% alcohol. Allow to dry.
2. Aspirate deepest portion of abscess with sterile needle and syringe or catheter. Do not allow air bubbles to enter syringe.
3. Replace needle with a sterile, rubber cap prior to transporting specimen.
4. Label syringe with patient’s legal name, birthdate, date and time of collection, and type of specimen.

• ALTERNATE: Swab

           Container/Tube: Eswab, White, #72732

           Specimen Volume: Entire specimen

           Collection Instructions:

1. Pass swab deep into abscess and sample lesion’s advancing edge taking care to avoid contamination with other normal flora.
2. Return swab to inner tube.
3. Label tube with patient’s legal name, birthdate, date and time of collection, and type of specimen.

Biopsy/Tissue

            Container/Tube: Sterile container

            Specimen Volume: 1 piece of tissue

            Collection Instructions:

1. Specimens are to be collected from a prepared site using sterile technique.
2. Aseptically transfer tissue into a sterile container.
3. Label tube with patient’s legal name, birthdate, date and time of collection, and type of specimen.

Body Fluid

            Container/Tube: Capped sterile syringe or container

            Specimen Volume: 2 mL (minimum volume: 1 mL) of body fluid

            Collection Instructions:

• Label syringe or container with patient’s legal name, birthdate, date and time of collection, and type of specimen.

Sinus Tract or Deep-Wound Drainage

            Container/Tube: Capped sterile syringe or container

            Specimen Volume: 2 mL (minimum volume: 1 mL) of body fluid

            Collection Instructions:

• Aspirate material with a small flexible plastic catheter and syringe after proper disinfection of the skin surface, or collect curettings of material from deep within the tract or wound.

Decubiti and other surface ulcers

• Results on specimens from decubiti and other surface ulcers can be very misleading unless special precautions are utilized. Analysis should be performed only on specimens from punch biopsy, aspirated material obtained by needle and syringe after thorough and proper disinfection of the surface area, or on small curettings of material from deep tissue at the wound margin.
• Swabs from decubiti and other surface ulcers are never appropriate for anaerobic culture.

Pulmonary

         Specimen: Bronchial Protected Brush

         Container/Tube: Sterile container, small amount of saline

         Specimen Volume: Protected Brush

         Collection Instructions:

1. Collect lung tissue, transtracheal aspirate, or percutaneous aspirate via double-lumen catheter.                                                                                                                                                  The use of shielded catheters to obtain specimens from pulmonary sources is essential to obtain proper specimens; otherwise the laboratory will be working up and identifying normal respiratory microbiota and providing useless information to the physician.
2. Label container with patient’s legal name, birthdate, date and time of collection and type of specimen.
3. Aseptically cut off brush (remove sheath) into a sterile container. Add 1 mL of non-bacteriostatic saline to specimen.

Female Genital Tract

• Specimens collected by laparoscopy, culdocentesis, or surgery are appropriate for anaerobic culture.
• Culture intrauterine devices anaerobically for Actinomyces species or Eubacterium nodatum

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Urinary

• Obtain material via suprapubic bladder tap or direct kidney stick