This is a preview. Log in to get access Show Abstract Specimens submitted for microbiological testing require proper handling from the time of collection through all stages of transport, storage, and processing. Issues common to all clinical specimens submitted for microbiological testing include not only proper identification but also collection techniques that maximize recovery of microbial pathogens and minimize contamination. For specimens such as sputum and urine, the relative proportions of microorganisms present in vivo must be preserved, or culture results may be misleading. If specimens are handled properly, culture results are easier to interpret, patient care is improved, and costs are potentially decreased. Although most guidelines for specimen handling remain unchanged, a recent emphasis has been placed on modifying traditional practices to decrease or eliminate unnecessary work, increase laboratory efficiency, and make microbiological testing more cost effective. Journal Information Clinical Infectious Diseases publishes clinically relevant articles on the pathogenesis, clinical investigation, medical microbiology, diagnosis, immune mechanisms, and treatment of diseases caused by infectious agents. Special sections include articles on antimicrobial resistance, bioterrorism, emerging infections, food safety, hospital epidemiology, and HIV/AIDS. In addition, the journal features highly focused brief reports, review articles, editorials, commentaries, and supplements. Published for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Publisher Information Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. OUP is the world's largest university press with the widest global presence. It currently publishes more than 6,000 new publications a year, has offices in around fifty countries, and employs more than 5,500 people worldwide. It has become familiar to millions through a diverse publishing program that includes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, school and college textbooks, business books, dictionaries and reference books, and academic journals. Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. Printer friendly version [11 pages] The proper collection and transport of clinical specimens is critical for the isolation, identification, and characterization of agents that cause bacterial meningitis. Optimally, clinical specimens should be obtained before antimicrobial therapy commences in order to avoid loss of viability of the etiological agents. Treatment of the patient, however, should not be delayed while awaiting collection of specimens or results from the laboratory and a specimen should be obtained in all suspect cases as bacterial pathogens can still be detected even after antimicrobial therapy has begun. N. meningitidis, S. pneumoniae, and H. influenzae are fastidious and fragile bacteria. They are more reliably isolated if the clinical specimens are examined as soon as possible after collection. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) should be processed in a microbiology laboratory within 1 hour after collection or inoculated into Trans-Isolate (T-I) medium for transport to the laboratory if processing within 1 hour is not feasible. Blood specimens should be immediately inoculated into a blood culture bottle and transported to a microbiology laboratory as soon as possible for overnight incubation and growth of bacteria.
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What is the importance of proper specimen collection and transport?It is a foundational principle for any laboratory test procedure that the value of the test is compromised or even negated by using specimens that have not been properly collected, labelled, handled or stored prior to and during the testing process.
What is the importance of following the proper steps in collecting samples?Collecting samples properly adds to the accuracy of the results. It's important to plan for testing in order to have the appropriate bottles and supplies on hand to collect and return the samples to the lab.
Why is proper blood collection important?Collecting blood samples is a frequently used method to diagnose and monitor diseases, and thanks to blood samples, long and sometimes painful examinations can often be avoided. Blood condition says something about the patient's overall health condition and reveals more specific diseases and conditions.
Why is it important that specimens delivered in the laboratory be properly collected and transported quizlet?a. Proper collection & transport of blood is crucial as pre-laboratory variables affect microbial recovery, contamination rates and ability of physicians to interpret results.
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