Home
HelpTest Code GENCUL Genital Culture
Performing Laboratory
St. Clair Hospital Laboratory
Methodology
Conventional Culture
Includes Gram stain, isolation, and identification of aerobic pathogenic organisms. Susceptibility testing will be performed. If specimen is submitted by transport appropriate for the recovery of anaerobes; or if the specimen is actual tissue or bone, anaerobic pathogenic organisms will also be isolated and identified.
Specimen Requirements
Acceptable Specimens:
Abscesses, biopsies, exudates, lesions, pus, or other material properly obtained from a wound site of the genitals (cervix, endometrium, fallopian tube. urethra, penis and foreskin, epididymis, vulva, vagina, placenta, etc).
Submit only 1 of the following:
Preferred:
Swab
1. Aseptically collect pus or exudate using an aerobic bacterial transport swab (cervix, urethra, penis, foreskin, vulva, vagina, or placenta). If anaerobic organisms are suspected, also add on an anaerobic transport swab. Curettings base of an open lesion is optimal.
2. Place swab(s) in a sterile culture transport tube.
3. Maintain sterility and forward promptly at ambient temperature only.
Note: Specimen source is required on request form for processing.
Alternate:
Tissue
1. Aseptically collect tissue (endometrium, fallopian tube, epididymis, etc) in sterile screw-capped container with small amount of saline, no fixative or preservative. Requested volume is as much as possible.
2. Maintain sterility and forward promptly at ambient temperaturer only.
Note: Specimen source is required on request form for processing.
Reference Values
No growth or no significant pathogens isolated.
Day(s) Test Set Up
Monday through Sunday