General Principles of Specimen Collection and Transport

DIAGNOSTIC MICROBIOLOGY UPDATES General Principles of Specimen Collection and Transport

In this issue ofClinical Infectious Diseases, we present the first article in a series entitled .'Diagnostic Microbiology Updates. " Although clinical microbiology is included in the curricula ofvirtually all infectious diseasefellowships, the degree ofemphasis on this subject varies considerably. Infectious disease physicianseven those who have direct responsibities or consulting responsibilit...

Urine specimen collection and transport.

is started on a new antibiotic, always take an “antibiotic timeout” and reassess the patient after the first 48 to 72 hours of antimicrobial therapy to assure that the patient has responded to the antimicrobial therapy, as many of the uropathogens are multidrug-resistant. A urinalysis and culture should be collected based on the patient’s symptoms and not solely based on the urine’s characteris...

Specimen collection for electron microscopy.

were “unknown agents.” For the sake of objectivity, we based our assumption on the aggregate of information for known pathogens rather than on “expert opinion.” Interestingly, however, the Council of Science and Technology’s “expert opinion” of the percentage of diarrheal illness due to foodborne transmission was 35% (1), nearly identical to the figure we developed. As noted in our article, pat...

Specimen Collection and Confirmation of Norovirus Outbreaks1

We evaluated data from gastroenteritis outbreaks in Oregon to assess sensitivity of stool testing for norovirus and determine number of specimens needed to confirm norovirus as the cause. Norovirus can be readily confirmed if 3-6 specimens are collected any time ≤7 days after onset of diarrhea and for almost that long after symptoms resolve.

Specimen collection: an essential tool.