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Test Code ANAEM Culture, Anaerobe

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Test Code ID

22498

My Marshfield Clinic

1-3 Days

Synonyms/Keywords

Anaerobe Culture, Anaerobic Culture

Primary Sendout

No

Internal Page

Yes

Outreach Page

Yes

Ordering Applications

Ordering Application Description
Centricity Cult. Anaerobic
Cerner Anaerobe Culture

 

Specimen Requirements

Specimen Type Preferred Container/Tube Acceptable Container/Tube Specimen Volume Specimen Minimum Volume
(allows for 1 repeat)
Pediatric Minimum Volume
(no repeat)
Fluid/Aspirate Dental Transport Media   1.0 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL
Tissue (<5mm) ACT 1 Transport        
Tissue (>5mm) Screw-capped sterile container        
Swab ESwab™ Other anaerobe transport medium 1 swab 1 swab 1 swab
Hardware obtained from surgical procedures Screw-capped sterile container        

Rejection Criteria

Specimens not listed above as acceptable for anaerobic culture

Dry swabs, and containers not approved for anaerobic transport

Leaking specimens

Specimens > 4 days

Specimen Stability Information

Specimen Type Temperature Time
Fluid/Aspirate Room Temperature  
Tissue Room Temperature  
Swabs and all other specimens Room Temperature < 4 hours
  Refrigerate > 4 hours

Test Information

The reliability of culture is very dependent upon the method of collection, conditions of transport, and the quality of the specimen.  Some organisms will not grow in routine culture, but can be a significant cause of infection.    Susceptibility testing of anaerobic organisms is generally clinical indicated only when isolated from blood, CSF, joint, or other normally sterile body site or when there has been a treatmet failure.  Consult Microbiology if additional testing is desired.   Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) will be performed on significant bacterial isolates based upon Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines.  Method used is minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by Etest®.   ‘ESwab’ is a trademark of Copan Diagnostics. ‘E-test’ is a registered trademark of bioMerieux Inc.

Performing Laboratory Information

Performing Location Day(s) Test Performed Analytical Time Methodology/Instrumentation
Marshfield Center Monday through Friday 5 days Conventional culture, standard susceptibility testing, manual or automated identification methods and nucleic acid sequence analysis as needed.

Reference Range Information

Performing Location Reference Range
All Performing Sites No anaerobes isolated or No growth

CPT Codes

CPT Modifier
(if needed)
Quantity Description Comments
87075     Culture, bacterial, anaerobic  
87076     Anaerobic isolate, definitive ID as needed
87153     Identification by nucleic acid sequencing method as needed
87185     Enzyme detection as needed
87181     Antibiotic gradient as needed

Outreach CPT Codes

CPT Modifier
(if needed)
Quantity Description Comments
87075     Culture, bacterial, anaerobic  
87076     Anaerobic isolate, definitive ID as needed
87153     Identification by nucleic acid sequencing method as needed
87185     Enzyme detection as needed
87181     Antibiotic gradient as needed

Collection Processing

Specimens should be delivered to the microbiology laboratory as soon as possible. Culture of specimens older than 24 hours may lead to a reduction in recovery of microorganisms. Gram stains will routinely be performed if sufficient specimen is received.  

Fluid/Aspirate: Submit in Dental transport medium: Cleanse rubber top with alcohol and allow to dry. Inject fluid or aspirate into transport media taking care not to introduce air.   

Tissue (>5mm): Submit in a screw-capped container and moisten tissue with a few drops of sterile saline to prevent drying.   Tissue (<5mm): Place "gently on top" of semi-solid gel in ACT 1 Transport.  Do not submerge tissue into semi-solid gel.  

Swabs:
- ESwab: collect one swab for Gram stain, aerobic and anaerobic cultures, and an additional swab for each additional culture type or stain (e.g. fungus or mycobacteria).
- Other Amies medium swab types: collect one swab for every culture and stain to be ordered. See ESwab collection video for more information

Swab specimens are not recommended! To optimize recovery of clinically significant anaerobic bacteria, care must be taken to avoid contamination with indigenous flora by collecting the specimen from an active site of infection. For more information on Specimen Collection Media/Swab, see Specimen Transport Pictorial

Acceptable Body Sites

Certain specimens from specific body sites are unacceptable for anaerobe culture. Please refer to table below for a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable specimens for anaerobe culture.

 

 

BODY SITE ACCEPTABLE UNACCEPTABLE
Head and Neck Aspirate Tissue biopsy Peritonsillar abscess Maxillary or ethmoid sinus Middle ear fluid (properly collected)
Throat or nasopharyngeal swab Oral or gingival swab Ear canal swab Material collected via the nares Upper respiratory tract secretions submitted on swab
Pulmonary Transtracheal aspirate Pleural fluid Thoracentesis fluid Lung tissue Bronchial brushings collected with a protected double lumen catheter. Fine needle aspirate   Sputum or induced sputum Endotracheal aspirates Bronchial washings or lavages Bronchial brushings collected without a protected double-lumen catheter
Bone and Joint fluid Synovial fluid aspirate Bone or Bone Marrow Biopsy Material Superficial swabs
Abdominal Peritoneal fluid Bile Liver abscess Tissue biopsy Abscess contents Superficial swabs
Female Genital Tract Ovarian abscess Fallopian tube fluid Culdocentesis specimens Bartholin gland cyst Endocervix Placental tissue IUD (for Actinomyces) Cervical swabs or secretions Vaginal swabs or secretions
Male Genital Tract   Prostatic or Seminal fluid Urethral Secretions
Urinary Tract Suprapubic aspirate   Clean catch urine Catheterized urine Urine from nephrostomy tube Urine from cystoscopy
Feces/Bowel If looking specifically for C. difficile or C. botulinum or C. perfringens. Duodenal sources: If looking for overgrowth only. Feces or rectal swabs Large bowel contents Small bowel contents
Superficial / Decubitus Ulcers and Diabetic Foot Ulcers Well-cleansed or post debrided material from base of ulcer (swab or curette) Purulent material from under skin flaps or deep pocket aspirates Surface swab
Hardware Obtained from surgical procedure. External fixation devices