Specimen Requirements

Stability

Days Performed

Sun - Sat

Turnaround Time

7 days

Methodology

Reference Range

Special Info

Media and incubation conditions are employed for the recovery of aerobic bacteria from an abscess, lesion or wound. Aspirates of purulent material are superior to swab specimens. Prior to specimen collection, remove surface exudate by cleansing with sterile saline or 70% alcohol and then aspirate with needle and syringe. Transfer aspirate fluid to a sterile container (or Port-A-Cul vial if anaerobic culture is also ordered). If a swab specimen must be used, a flocked swab (e.g., Eswab) is preferred because it collects more material than standard swabs. If culture is positive, identification will be performed on clinically significant organisms at an additional charge. Identification CPT codes that may apply include: 87206, 87077, 87106, 87107, 87153, 87158. Antimicrobial susceptibilities are performed when indicated, and the following CPT codes may apply: 87181, 87184, 87185, 87186.

Clinical Info

Provision of specific information regarding the specimen site is essential for culture interpretation. Submission of superficial wound specimens is not valuable because the culture usually yields commensal flora which is difficult to distinguish from underlying bacteria responsible for the infection. Traumatic, post-surgical, and diabetic foot infections are often polymicrobial requiring an additional anaerobic culture order to recover all bacterial pathogens. The optimal specimen to diagnose skin and soft tissue infections is a biopsy sample (see tissue culture).