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HelpTest Code ANAE Culture, Anaerobe
Synonyms/Keywords
Anaerobe Culture, Anaerobic Culture
Specimen Requirements
| Specimen Type | Preferred Container/Tube | Acceptable Container/Tube | Specimen Volume | Specimen Minimum Volume (allows for 1 repeat) |
Pediatric Minimum Volume (no repeat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluid/Aspirate | Dental Transport Media | Sterile, leakproof container | 1.0 mL | 0.5 mL | 0.5 mL |
| Tissue (<5mm) | Anaerobic Transport Medium | Dental Transport Media | |||
| Tissue (>5mm) | Screw-capped sterile container | ||||
|
Swab (least preferred) |
ESwab™ | Other anaerobe transport medium | 1 swab | 1 swab | 1 swab |
| Hardware obtained from surgical procedures | Screw-capped sterile container |
Acceptable Body Sites
Certain specimens from specific body sites are unacceptable for anaerobe culture. Please refer to table below for a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable specimens for anaerobe culture.
| BODY SITE | ACCEPTABLE | UNACCEPTABLE | |
| Head and Neck |
Aspirate Tissue biopsy Peritonsillar abscess Maxillary or ethmoid sinus Middle ear fluid (properly collected) |
|
|
| Pulmonary |
Transtracheal aspirate Pleural fluid Thoracentesis fluid Lung tissue Bronchial brushings collected with a protected double lumen catheter. Fine needle aspirate |
Sputum or induced sputum Endotracheal aspirates Bronchial washings or lavages Bronchial brushings collected without a protected double-lumen catheter |
|
| Bone and Joint fluid |
Synovial fluid aspirate Bone or Bone Marrow Biopsy Material |
Superficial swabs | |
| Abdominal |
Peritoneal fluid Bile Liver abscess Tissue biopsy Abscess contents |
Superficial swabs | |
| Female Genital Tract |
Ovarian abscess Fallopian tube fluid Culdocentesis specimens Bartholin gland cyst Endocervix Placental tissue IUD (for Actinomyces) |
Cervical swabs or secretions Vaginal swabs or secretions |
|
| Male Genital Tract |
Prostatic or Seminal fluid Urethral Secretions |
||
| Urinary Tract | Suprapubic aspirate |
Clean catch urine Catheterized urine Urine from nephrostomy tube Urine from cystoscopy |
|
| Feces/Bowel |
If looking specifically for C. difficile, C. botulinum or C. perfringens. Duodenal sources: Only if looking for overgrowth only |
Feces or rectal swabs Large bowel contents Small bowel contents |
|
| Superficial / Decubitus Ulcers and Diabetic Foot Ulcers |
Well-cleansed or post debrided material from base of ulcer (swab or curette) Purulent material from under skin flaps or deep pocket aspirates |
Surface swab | |
| Hardware | Obtained from surgical procedure. | External fixation devices |
Collection/Processing Instructions
Specimens should be delivered to the microbiology laboratory as soon as possible.
Culture of specimens older than 24 hours may lead to a reduction in recovery of microorganisms. Gram stains will routinely be performed if sufficient specimen is received.
Fluid/Aspirate: Submit in Dental transport medium: Cleanse rubber top with alcohol and allow to dry. Inject fluid or aspirate into transport media taking care not to introduce air. It is also acceptable to submit fluid in a sterile, leakproof container
Tissue (>5mm): Submit in a screw-capped container and moisten tissue with a few drops of sterile saline to prevent drying.
Tissue (<5mm): For Anaerobic Transport Media place "gently on top" of semi-solid gel. Do not submerge tissue into semi-solid gel.
Swabs:
ESwab™: one swab can be collected for Gram stain, aerobic and anaerobic cultures, and fungal cultures.
Other Amies medium swab types: collect one swab for every culture and stain to be ordered.
See ESwab Video video for more information.
Swab specimens are NOT recommended!
To optimize recovery of clinically significant anaerobic bacteria, care must be taken to avoid contamination with indigenous flora by collecting the specimen from an active site of infection.
For more information on Specimen Collection Media/Swab, see Specimen Transport Pictorial
Specimen Stability Information
| Specimen Type | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fluid/Aspirate | Room Temperature | 4 days |
| Tissue | Room Temperature | 4 days |
| Swabs in gel | Room Temperature | < 4 hours |
| Refrigerated | < 24 hours | |
| ESwab™ | Room Temperature | < 48 hours |
| Refrigerated | < 48 hours |
Rejection Criteria
Specimens not listed above as acceptable for anaerobic culture
Dry swabs, and containers not approved for anaerobic transport
Leaking specimens
Specimens > 4 days old
Cotton Swabs
Test Information
The reliability of culture is very dependent upon the method of collection, conditions of transport, and the quality of the specimen. Some organisms will not grow in routine culture, but can be a significant cause of infection.
Susceptibility testing of anaerobic organisms is generally clinical indicated only when isolated from blood, CSF, joint, or other normally sterile body site or when there has been a treatmet failure. Consult Microbiology if additional testing is desired.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) will be performed on significant bacterial isolates based upon Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Method used is minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by Etest®.
ESwab™ is a trademark of Copan Diagnostics.
Etest® is a registered trademark of bioMerieux Inc.
Reference Range Information
No anaerobes isolated or No growth
Marshfield Labs Performing Department
Marshfield Labs Microbiology
Performing Information
| Performing Location | Day(s) Test Performed | Analytical Time | Methodology/Instrumentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshfield Center | Monday through Friday | 5 days | Conventional culture, standard susceptibility testing, manual or automated identification methods and nucleic acid sequence analysis as needed. |
CPT Codes
| CPT | Modifier (if needed) |
Quantity | Description | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87075 | Culture, bacterial, anaerobic | |||
| 87076 | Anaerobic isolate, definitive ID | as needed | ||
| 87153 | Identification by nucleic acid sequencing method | as needed | ||
| 87185 | Enzyme detection | as needed | ||
| 87181 | Antibiotic gradient | as needed |
Outreach CPT Codes
| CPT | Modifier (if needed) |
Quantity | Description | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87075 | Culture, bacterial, anaerobic | |||
| 87076 | Anaerobic isolate, definitive ID | as needed | ||
| 87153 | Identification by nucleic acid sequencing method | as needed | ||
| 87185 | Enzyme detection | as needed | ||
| 87181 | Antibiotic gradient | as needed |
Ordering Applications
| Ordering Application | Description |
|---|---|
| Cerner | Anaerobe Culture |