Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Culture Screen

Test Code

91669

CPT Codes
87081

Preferred Specimen

Rectal swab in Amies gel, liquid Stuart or ESwab™ transport media

Instructions

Specimens should be collected prior to the initiation of antimicrobial therapy. Use transport device approved for the collection of rectal or perirectal swabs. Follow the transport device manufacturer's procedures.

Transport Container

Amies gel, liquid Stuart or ESwab™ transport media

Transport Temperature

Room temperature

Specimen Stability

Room temperature: 4 days
Refrigerated: 4 days
Frozen: Unacceptable

Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)

Stool • Swab from source other than rectal or perirectal • Swab in transport media other than Amies gel, liquid Stuart or ESwab™

Methodology
Culture

Setup Schedule

Set up: Daily; Report available: 3 days

Reference Range

Not isolated

Clinical Significance

Carbapenem resistance among the Enterobacteriaceae is an emerging problem in the USA, especially on the East Coast where several outbreaks have been reported. Classic screening procedures involving selective enrichments followed by traditional culture isolation step are labor intensive and turnaround time is slow. The use of selective and differential agar allows for rapid (24 hour) screening of specimens to identify the presence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.

Performing Laboratory
Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute
14225 Newbrook Drive
Chantilly, VA 20153

The CPT Codes provided in this document are based on AMA guidelines and are for informational purposes only. CPT coding is the sole responsibility of the billing party. Please direct any questions regarding coding to the payor being billed. Any Profile/panel component may be ordered separately. Reflex tests are performed at an additional charge.