Specimen Collection and Handling

PRESERVED STOOL (preferred):

1. Collect stool specimen.
2. Do not contaminate with urine or water.
3. Using spoon attached to cap of container select portions of specimen containing pus, blood, or mucous.
4. Add a sufficient amount of specimen to transport media to bring liquid level up to “fill to here” line. Do not fill above line indicated on containers.
5. Agitate specimen with spoon along side of container, tighten cap, and shake firmly to insure that specimen is adequately mixed (solution should appear homogeneous).
6. Label container with patient’s name (first and last), date of birth or medical record number, date and time of collection, collector’s initials and SPECIMEN SOURCE.
7. Place container(s) in a Ziploc® bag.
8. The Para-Pak® transport system preserves enteric pathogens for 96 hours at ambient temperature.

To Process:

• If transport time is not expected to exceed 24 hours, send at ambient temperature.
• Send refrigerated if transport time is expected to exceed 24 hours.
• Maintain sterility and forward promptly.

UNPRESERVED STOOL (alternate):

1. Submit 10 g of fresh stool in a screw-capped, sterile container.
2. Do not contaminate with urine or water.
3. No preservative added
4. Label container with patient’s name (first and last), date of birth or medical record number, date and time of collection, collector’s initials and specimen source.
5. Place container in a Ziploc® bag.
6. For optimum recovery of pathogens for follow-up testing (e.g. antibiotic susceptibility testing), transport time should be less than two hours. Recovery of some pathogens (especially Shigella sp.) is reduced with longer transport times.

To Process:

• If transport time is not expected to exceed 24 hours, send at ambient temperature.
• Send refrigerated if transport time is expected to exceed 24 hours.
• Maintain sterility and forward promptly.