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Culture, Aerobic Bacteria with Gram Stain
Test Code18881
CPT Codes
87070, 87205
Includes
If culture is positive, identification will be performed at an additional charge (CPT code(s): 87077 or 87140 or 87143 or 87147 or 87149).
Antibiotic susceptibilities are only performed when appropriate (CPT code(s): 87181 or 87184 or 87185 or 87186).
Antibiotic susceptibilities are only performed when appropriate (CPT code(s): 87181 or 87184 or 87185 or 87186).
Preferred Specimen
1 swab wounds, abscess, aspirates or drainage collected in an Amies liquid or gel transport swab, ESwab, sterile leak-proof container or syringe
Minimum Volume
1 swab
Instructions
Note: For deep wounds and surgical specimens or whenever anaerobic infection must be ruled out, see Culture, Aerobic and Anaerobic with Gram Stain
Transport Temperature
Room temperature
Specimen Stability
Room temperature: 48 hours
Refrigerated: 48 hours
Frozen: Unacceptable
Refrigerated: 48 hours
Frozen: Unacceptable
Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)
Dry swabs • Nails • Molecular transport systems • Post-mortem specimens • Skin scrapings • Specimens submitted in formalin • Swabs of oral specimens (ex. gums, teeth) • Wooden-shafted, cotton tipped swabs • Calcium alginate swabs
Methodology
Bacterial Culture, Aerobic
Includes direct specimen gram stain and routine isolation and indentification procedures, antimicrobic susceptibility testing when appropriate.
Setup Schedule
Set up: Daily.; Report available: 4 days
Reference Range
Not applicable
Clinical Significance
Aerobic bacteria cause a variety of human infections. Proper specimen collection and transport, media and incubation are important criteria for the recovery of aerobes. The primary aerobic bacterial agents for skin and tissue infections include S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, members of the enterobacteriaceae, and beta-hemolytic streptococci. The gram stain is a critical test for the rapid, presumptive diagnosis of infectious agents and also serves to assess the quality of clinical specimens. The results of aerobic cultures assist the clinician with diagnosis and treatment of patients with bacterial infections. Proper interpretation of culture results is dependent on specimen source and known pathogenicity of the isolated organism.
