01_Specimen Collection, Transport and Processing

• Respiratory swab specimens should be collected within 3 to 7 days of on set
• Specimen collection is done before antimicrobial therapy
• VTM provides a false negative result due to having antibiotic properties
• seroligical specimens are refrigerated for 4-8 C for 24-48 hours and -20 C for longer periods
• One can protect the patient by using single-use equipment
• Decontaminate spills by mixing 10% bleach on the spill
• Regularly disinfect working areas with 1% bleach
• The three types of infection precations are: contact, droplet, airborne
• Commercial coolants are prefered over ice
• methanol is used to fix blood smears
• Blood smear slides are tranported within 24 hours and are not refrigerated as this cann alter the cell morphology of the blood
• Venous blood is collected for blood smears
• 3 sets of blood cultures is retrieved when bacterial endocarditis is suspected
• Blood for cultures are transported into bottles with infusion broth
• Blood cultures tranported upright with cushion prevents hemolysis
• blood cultures travel at ambient temperatures within 24 hours and stored at 4 C for more than
• Blood clots for 30 minutes at ambient temperature
• Purple caps contain EDTA preservative, an anticoagulant and results to plasma whil red caps result to serum
• Place serum 4-8 C for clot retraction for 1-2 hours and centrifuge at 1,500 RPM for 5-10 minutes

  store 4-8 C for less than 10 days and freeze at -20 C for more than
• Freeze thaw cycles destroy IgM
• CSF samples are prewarmed to 25-37 C before inoculation to avoid temperature shock
• CSF samples are transported under ambient tempearatures or 4-8 C for 48 hours and -70 for longer
• The five clarities of urine are: Clear, Hazy, Cloudy, Turbid, Milky
• Maple syrup - MSUD

  Mercaptan - Asparagus

  Rotting Fish - Trimethylaminuria

  Rancid Butter - Tyrosinemia

  Cabbage/hops - Methionine malabsorption

  Mousy - Phenylketonuria

  Sweaty feat - Isovaleric Acidemia
• Random specimen - urine is collected at an unspecified time
• midstream specimen is a method of collection
• urine culture test is performed to grow and identify organisms that may cause UTI
• Antibiotic susceptibility test helps select an appropriate antibiotic that is effective against specific types of bacteria or fungi causing any infection
• 30-60 mL of urine is collected for testing
• suprapubic aspiration and Indwelling catheter are two collection methods of sterile specimen
• timed urine specimen collection is between 2-72 hours but 24 hours is the most common
• Collecting stool samples must not have disinfectant residues, moisture and not from a bedpan
• differentiate stool samples for viruses, bacteria and parasites
• Amie's or Stuarts transport medium is the appropriate bacterial media for respiratory specimens except sputum
• tranport of respiratory specimens are up to 24 hours with ambient temperatures for bacteria and 4-8 C for virus
• The ideal location of a throat swab - posterior pharynx, tonsillar region of throat behind uvula
• Calcium alginate swab can interfere with molecular testing
• Nasopharyngeal swabs are inserted into nostril to nasopharynx and with drawn slowly in rotating motion
• Mucus from bronchus must not have saliva, mouthwash and have 1 mL of volume
• the guidelines on specimen packaging includes the observance of the triple packaging system