Specimen Type

All specimens should be refrigerated if transport is delayed.

Specimen descriptions below were current as of 1/10/2019. Please see the SHL test catalog entry for the most up to date information.

Sputum: Collect three specimens at least eight hours apart ensuring that at least one specimen is a first morning collection. The healthcare professional must give instructions for producing sputum. The patient’s mouth should be clean before producing a specimen. Sputum should be coughed from deep in the chest and placed in a sterile specimen container. Pooled sputum specimens are unacceptable. Minimum volume 1ml. Deliver to lab immediately.

Bronchial washings, pleural fluid, etc: Deliver to lab immediately. Micro will place specimen in a sterile 50 mL screw cap conical tube.

Tissue specimens/Bronchial brushes: Deliver to lab immediately. Micro will add 4-5 mL sterile saline to a sterile 50 mL screw cap conical tube, and add the specimen.

Gastric specimens: Deliver to lab immediately. Micro will add the first morning specimen to a sterile 50 mL screw cap tube containing 100 mg of sodium carbonate as a buffer. Specimens not clearly labeled as buffered will be rejected.

Urine specimens: Deliver to lab immediately. Micro will add 10-40 mL of first morning urine into a 50 mL screw-cap conical tube without buffers. Specimen must be refrigerated within one hour of collection.