Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Culture Screen

Test Code

91669

CPT Codes
87081

Preferred Specimen

Rectal or perirectal swab in Amies gel transport medium, Liquid Stuart transport medium or Amies Liquid Elution Swab ESwab

Instructions

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

Transport Container

Amies gel, liquid Stuart or ESwab transport media

Transport Temperature

Refrigerated (cold packs)

Specimen Stability

Room temperature: 24 hours
Refrigerated: 7 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

Daily

Report Available

5 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-Chantilly VA

14225 Newbrook Drive

Chantilly, VA 20151-2228

Last Updated: November 6, 2024

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.