General Considerations

Microbiology Specimen Collections

General Considerations

1. All specimens are processed for the recovery of the most frequent pathogen(s) from the body site. It is therefore necessary to indicate the body site in the Source section of the Microbiology Requisition form.
2. Specimens for cultures should be carefully placed into sterile containers to avoid contamination of the container.
3. Specimens which must be submitted in a syringe must have the needle removed from the syringe.
4. Fluid specimens can be aspirated with a needle and syringe and should be injected into a Port-a-cul vial. If specimen quality is insufficient to inject into the Port-a-cul, please remove the needle before submitting.
5. Stool specimens require specialized transport containers. Refer to specific test information on this website for proper container information.