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HelpTest Code LAB12000 Stool Culture - Outpatient
Department
MICROBIOLOGY
Collection Requirements
Collect fresh random stool or rectal swab.
Add stool specimen to transport until liquid reaches fill line.
Emulsify specimen thoroughly in transport fluid.
Send stool in transport media within 72 hrs of collection or rectal swab in aerobic transport within 24 hrs.
Do not refrigerate or incubate.
Lesions of the rectum or sigmoid colon may be swabbed during proctoscopy or sigmoidoscopy and are preferred to swabs blindly inserted into the rectum.
When multiple cultures ordered, submit one per day.
Primary Collection Container
Cary-Blair Media (Orange)
Alternate Collection Container
Gel Bottom Swab
Transport
Ambient
Preferred Transport Temperature
Ambient
Stability
Ambient:
Para-Pak C&S: 72 hours
Aerobic Gel Bottom Swab: 24 hours
Reference Range
No Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, or E. Coli 0157:H7 Isolated
Methodology
Culture
Performed
Sunday – Saturday
Reported
4 days
CPT Codes
87045; 87046
Identification, and susceptability tests are billed separately from culture
Unacceptable Conditions
Delay in delivery to the lab.
Nonsterile or leaking containers, multiple specimens (more than one in 24 hours), dry specimens, or delayed transport without use of appropriate preservative. Refrigerated specimens.
Additional Information
Primary organisms that are always looked for: Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobcter, and E. coli O157:H7.
Vibrio sp. and Yersinia sp. are ordered separately and sent to a reference laboratory. Please search “stool culture, vibrio; stool culture, yersinia”, for order details. Ova and Parasite and Clostridium difficile are not recovered through routine culture.