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Quantitative Culture Tissue ONLY
Test CodeC QA- Tissue ONLY
Alias/See Also
Anaerobic Quantitative Culture C QAAN
Preferred Specimen
Biopsy tissues of burns: It is preferrable to submit 3 separate tissue samples approximately 2-8 mm in size. Submit to lab as soon as possible in a sterile, screw topped container. Specimens submitted in transport medium will not be processed. If submitted in transport medium, test will be cancelled. Do not allow sample to dry out. Add a tiny amount of sterile saline to the sterile container if necessary.
Duodenal aspirate
Other tissues or fluids may be acceptable, call MICROBIOLOGY for consult.
Duodenal aspirate
Other tissues or fluids may be acceptable, call MICROBIOLOGY for consult.
Minimum Volume
If submitting a tissue, less than 0.1 gram of specimen is not acceptable and will not be processed. Test will be cancelled.
Instructions
NOTE: Tissues/Fluids: sample collected after cleansing and/or surgical debridement yields the most useful information.
Ideal number and size of tissue: 3 separate tissue samples approximately 2-8 mm in size. Submit to lab as soon as possible in a sterile, screw topped container. Specimens submitted in transport medium will not be processed. If submitted in transport medium, test will be cancelled.
Do not allow sample to dry out. Add a tiny amount of sterile saline to the sterile container if necessary.
Ideal number and size of tissue: 3 separate tissue samples approximately 2-8 mm in size. Submit to lab as soon as possible in a sterile, screw topped container. Specimens submitted in transport medium will not be processed. If submitted in transport medium, test will be cancelled.
Do not allow sample to dry out. Add a tiny amount of sterile saline to the sterile container if necessary.
Transport Temperature
Refrigerated
Specimen Stability
For Fluid or Tissue: Send to the Lab within 30 minutes of collection. If specimen is received after 24 hours, it will be rejected and the test cancelled.
Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)
Unacceptable specimens:
Specimens on swabs
Specimens that are dried out (tissue)
Delayed transport (specimen received after 24 hours of collection)
Frozen tissue
Tissue/ specimens placed in formalin
Samples in preservatives/ transport medium
Tissue that weighs <0.1 gm (insufficient for quantitative testing)
Specimens on swabs
Specimens that are dried out (tissue)
Delayed transport (specimen received after 24 hours of collection)
Frozen tissue
Tissue/ specimens placed in formalin
Samples in preservatives/ transport medium
Tissue that weighs <0.1 gm (insufficient for quantitative testing)
Clinical Significance
Quantitative cultures are useful in determining the bacterial load in a tissue or fluid to provide a guide for overall medical or surgical management. There appears to be a direct relationship between the number of bacteria present in a tissue/wound and the rate of the healing process and the success of associated skin grafts. The critical number appears to be 100,000 bacteria per gram or milliliter of tissue or fluid material, normally irrespective of the species. Pseudomonas and Beta Strep may require as few as 100 infecting colony forming units to be toxic.
