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Stool PCR for Salmonella/Shigella/Campylobacter/Shiga Toxin
Test CodePCRST
Alias/See Also
Epic: LAB12823
Includes
PCR for Salmonella, Shigella/EIEC, Campylobacter, and Shiga Toxins 1 and 2.
Preferred Specimen
Specimen Type: Preserved feces
Collection Container: Cary Blair transport media
Specimen Volume: Representative portion of feces; 5 mL
Minimum Volume
1 mL
Other Acceptable Specimens
Specimen Type: Unpreserved feces
Collection Container: Sterile container
Collection Container: Sterile container
Instructions
- Stool should be loose or liquid, not formed.
- Patient should pass stool into a clean, dry, container mounted on the toilet for this purpose.
- Stool must not touch liquid in the toilet.
- Submitting sites must add the stool to the fill line on Cary Blair transport media prior to shipping and ASAP.
Specimen Stability
Preserved feces
Room temperature: 48 hours
Refrigerated: 5 days
Frozen: Unacceptable
Unpreserved feces
Room temperature: 48 hours
Refrigerated: 48 hours
Frozen: Unacceptable
Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)
- Formed stool NEW!
- Specimen received on a diaper or scraped from a diaper are unacceptable.
- Rejection will occur for the following reasons: improperly labeled specimen, insufficient volume, specimen not submitted in appropriate transport container
Methodology
Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the amplification of SpaO, a Campylobacter specific tuf gene sequence, ipaH, stx 1a and stx 2a
Setup Schedule
Daily
Report Available
1-2 Days
Limitations
Rule out of additional bacterial pathogens requires notification of the laboratory or additional test ordering prior to sample submission. These organisms may require special growth media and separate orders and may include: Aeromonas, Vibrio, Yersinia, Plesiomonas, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas.
Reference Range
Negative for bacterial intestinal pathogens
Clinical Significance
Interpretation: Detection of a pathogen suggests an infectious cause of diarrhea. However, diarrhea may be caused by a number of pathogens and other factors.
A positive PCR result does not necessarily indicate the presence of viable organisms. Positive results do not rule out co-infection with other organisms that are not detected by this test.
This PCR panel does not differentiate between Shigella spp. and Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC), which are closely related and may cause similar illness.
It is not recommended for stool pathogen tests to be ordered on inpatients who have been hospitalized for >3 days. Community acquired enteric pathogens are an unlikely cause of new symptoms. If the admitting diagnosis was not gastroenteritis, and no other risk factors exist, the ordering provider should consider alternative causes for diarrhea.
A positive PCR result does not necessarily indicate the presence of viable organisms. Positive results do not rule out co-infection with other organisms that are not detected by this test.
This PCR panel does not differentiate between Shigella spp. and Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC), which are closely related and may cause similar illness.
It is not recommended for stool pathogen tests to be ordered on inpatients who have been hospitalized for >3 days. Community acquired enteric pathogens are an unlikely cause of new symptoms. If the admitting diagnosis was not gastroenteritis, and no other risk factors exist, the ordering provider should consider alternative causes for diarrhea.
Performing Laboratory
Inova Laboratories
2832 Juniper Street
Fairfax, VA 22031
Last Updated: July 26, 2023
Last Review: N. Wolford, July 26, 2023