Specimen Requirements

Preferred:
Container/Tube:  Sterile cup or Red, no additive, tube
Minimum Volume: 1ml
Collection Instructions:

1. Syringe: Specimens obtained using needle aspiration should be transferred to a sterile tube or anaerobic transport vial prior to being delivered to the laboratory. Syringes with needles still attached will be rejected.
2. Sterile tubes: Fluids can be transferred into a sterile blood collection tube without preservative. Tubes with anticoagulant is not recommended, some organisms are inhibited by citrate or EDTA. If anticoagulant much be used, heparin is acceptable, but not optimum.