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Test Code C Anaerobe Culture, Anaerobe

Important Note

NOTE: There are strict specimen requirements for Anaerobic Culture.  Refer to the Specimen Requirements section below. Any specimen not meeting the specimen acceptance criteria will be rejected.

Methodology

Culture

Specimen Requirements

Note: As with other cultures, administration of antimicrobial therapy prior to culture may make recovery of pathogens difficult to impossible.

 

1.  Specimen Source is Required.

2.  Refer to the Microbiology Specimen Collection Procedure for collection instructions.

 

Note:  There are strict specimen requirements for Anaerobic Culture.

 

The following types of specimens are acceptable.  Specimens must be transported to the laboratory ASAP.  Specimens can be transported in Anaerobic Transport Media (provided by the laboratory), and larger volume specimens can be transported in a sterile container (such as a urine cup).

  1. Abscess aspirated with needle/syringe
  2. Sterile Body Cavity Fluids / Tissues / Bones
  3. Suprapubic Urine Aspirate
  4. Percutaneous Transtracheal Aspirate
  5. Surgically collected Sinus Cavity aspirates
  6. Surgically implanted hardware

The following types of specimens are NOT acceptable and will not be tested:

  1. Superficial Skin Swabs
  2. Respiratory specimens
  3. Gastrointestinal contents/specimens
  4. Genital Tract specimens
  5. Decubitus Ulcers
  6. Urine

 

 

 

Day(s) Test Set Up

Monday through Sunday

Reference Values

No Anaerobic Growth

Note: Cultures are held for 7 days, with the exception of specimens from the hip, knee, shoulder and elbow joints (bone/tissue/fluid), which are held for 14-days.

Test Classification and CPT Coding

87075 - Culture

87076 - Identification as appropriate

 

Performing Laboratory

Beebe Healthcare Laboratory

Performing Location

Margaret H. Rollins Laboratory

Specimen Transport Temperature

Ambient

Must arrive in the laboratory as soon as possible after collection.

Additional Information

Cultures are worked up and reported per standard Microbiology guidelines.  Full organism identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing are performed when appropriate and will incur additional CPT codes and charges.  Pertinent patient history should be communicated directly to the Microbiology Department when necessary (patient travel history, suspect and/or rule out certain pathogens, any unusual circumstances, etc) so that the culture can be worked up appropriately.  If additional workup is required beyond the final culture report, please contact the Microbiology Department at (302)-645-3563 within 5 days to discuss the case with a technologist.