Lesson 9

Question 1

Are critical considerations, because any result the laboratory generates is limited by the quality of
the specimen and its condition on arrival in the laboratory

Answer 1

Specimen collection, handling, and transport

Question 2

Is the most common
form of skin cleansing before drawing blood for culture.

Answer 2

70% alcohol followed by an idophor

Question 3

Where do we use the 2 swabs that we collected?

Answer 3

1. Direct Smear
2. Culture Media

Question 4

They are not recommended for routine collection

Answer 4

Swabs

Question 5

Are recommended rather
than the cotton-tipped.

Answer 5

Dacron or Calcium Alginate Swabs

Question 6

It must be provided on the specimen
label

Answer 6

Patient’s Information

Question 7

The term _____ is not an appropriate specimen label, and the exact anatomic site must be provided.

Answer 7

Wound

Question 8

All rejected specimens require a __________ to the person in charge of collecting the specimen

Answer 8

Phone Call

Question 9

Enumerate the reasons for specimen rejection

Answer 9

1. The information on the label does not match the information on the
   requisition slip.
2. The specimen is transported at the improper temperature.
3. The specimen has not been transported in the proper medium.
4. The quantity of specimen is insufficient for testing (QNS).
5. The transport of specimen exceeds 2 hours post-collection and the
   specimen has not been preserved properly.
6. The specimen is preserved in a fixative (formalin).
7. The specimen has already dried up when transported to the
   laboratory.
8. Processing a specimen with a questionable medical value
9. More than one specimen from the same source (except
   blood) and from the same patient was submitted on the
   same day.
10. A single swab was submitted with multiple requests for
    various organisms.
11. Expectorated sputum in which the Gram stain reveals
    <25 WBCs and >10 epithelial cells.

Question 10

Primary goal in the transport of specimens?

Answer 10

to maintain the specimen as near to its original state
as possible with minimal deterioration and to prevent risk to the specimen handler.

Question 11

Ideally, specimen should be transported to the
laboratory within _____ of collection.

Answer 11

30 minutes

Question 12

For anaerobic bacteria, transport should not take more than?

Answer 12

10 minutes

Question 13

CSF Samples must be transported within?

Answer 13

15 minutes

Question 14

All specimen containers must be?

Answer 14

Leak-proof

Question 15

Patient specimens or culture isolates must be _____ before being shipped.

Answer 15

Triple Packaged

Question 16

Changes in temperature

Answer 16

Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus spp.

Question 17

Changes in pH

Answer 17

Shigella spp.

Question 18

A delay in transport causes?

Answer 18

A decrease in the
number of pathogens and the multiplication
of normal flora.

Question 19

Stool specimens for Clostridium difficile toxin assay should be collected without a?

Answer 19

Preservative

Question 20

It maintains the appropriate colony counts (urine) at room temperature for 24 hours

Answer 20

Boric Acid

Question 21

Maintain the viability of microorganisms present in a
specimen but not allow multiplication.
– Examples: Stuart’s medium, Amie’s medium, Cary Blair,
Transgrow, JEMBEC

Answer 21

Transport/Holding Media

Question 22

It absorbs fatty acids present in the specimen that could kill fastidious organisms (Neisseria gonorrheae and Bordetella pertussis).

Answer 22

Charcoal

Question 23

It is a common stool transport medium but is not preferred because it is toxic to enteric bacteria like Vibrio and
Campylobacter.

Answer 23

Buffered glycerol-saline

Question 24

They are used to prevent clotting of blood, bone marrow and
synovial fluid.

Answer 24

Anticoagulants

Question 25

For blood culture media because Neisseria spp. and some anaerobic bacteria are sensitive to higher
concentrations

Answer 25

0.025% Sodium Polyanethol Sulfonate (SPS)

Question 26

Used for mycobacteria and viral cultures; it may inhibit growth of Gram-positive bacteria and yeast.

Answer 26

Heparin

Question 27

They should not be used for microbiology

Answer 27

EDTA and Citrate

Question 28

Order of priority when multiple specimens arrive at the same time

Answer 28

1. CSF
2. Tissues
3. Blood
4. Sterile Fluids

Question 29

What are the examinations that are not performed in the Direct Microscopic Examination?

Answer 29

Throat, Nasopharyngeal, and Stool Spx

Question 30

For stool, if the delay is no
longer than 2 hours, the
specimen can be added to?

Answer 30

Cary-Blair Transport Media

Question 31

Specimens suspected of
containing ______ _______
should never be stored in the
refrigerator.

Answer 31

Anaerobic Bacteria