CULTURE EYE

Vitreus fluid should be plated at the bedside or submitted in an aerobic blood culture bottle (see CXFLB).

CXEYE

LAB943 EYE CULTURE 81228

Aerobic culture and Gram stain.

Conjunctiva, corneal scraping, sclera, agar plate(s) or broth inoculated directly at the bedside.

Sample fresh drainage from site of infection with swab provided in Eswab collection kit or BD CultureSwab. Insert ESwab sweab into ESwab transport tube and break off. Screw ESwab cap on securely. For BD CultureSwab, use both swabs to sample site of infection and return swabs to culture transport tube. Label culture tube with LIS/HIS order label or handwritten label according to lab protocol: patient last name, first name, date of birth, MR number. Bedside inoculation: use swab to sample site of infection and point inoculate Chocolate agar plate; swish swab in Thioglycollate broth and break off shaft of swab very short in the tube of broth. Use second swab to sample site of infection and roll onto microscope slide(s) for desired stain(s). Discard swab. Tape Chocolate agar plate and lid securely. Label Chocolate agar plate on media side.

Regular Eswab (white cap) or BD CultureSwab (red cap, double swab) or other suitable swab collection device with transport medium. Chocolate Agar plate, Thioglycollate broth and microscope slide inoculated at the bedside.

Transport to lab ASAP at ambient temperature.

Swab: =24 hours. Chocolate agar/broth: 4 hours.

Cultures set up 24/7.

Preliminary reports daily and when significant results detected. Final report after 7 days.

Culture yield directly related to quality of specimen submitted.