Fungal Culture

Patient Preparation

• None

• Isolate submission (growth on culture media):

-Culture isolate on Sabouraud's agar or other appropriate media (i.e. potato dextrose agar, potato flake agar, inhibitory mold agar, brain heart infusion, brain heart infusion with sheeps blood, brain heart infusion with chloramphenicol, brain heart Infusion with gentamicin, Sabouraud brain heart infusion with chloramphenicol and gentamicin, SDA Emmons, SDA Emmons with cycloheximide and chloramphenicol) in screw capped tube.

-Only pure cultures will be accepted

-Isolate should be submitted on primary media or subculture after growth is visible. 

• Specimen submission:

-Acceptable specimen types include: Abscess, body fluids,  blood, bone marrow, CSF, skin, tissue and wounds.

-Collect specimen in a sterile, leak-proof container.

-Blood and bone marrow samples should be submitted in routine blood culture bottles. 

-Tissues should be placed in saline and submitted in a sterile leak-proof container. 

• Specimen should be labeled with at least two unique patient identifiers along with specimen source and match accompanying test order.

• None

• Store isolate at 15 - 25°C prior to shipping.
• Acceptable specimen types should be stored at 2-8°C except for CSF. 

• Ship acceptable specimens at 2-8°C except for CSF (ship at 15-25°C). 
• Ship isolates at 15-25°C.
• All infectious substance shipments must conform to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR 49 C.F.R. Parts 171-180). 

• Acceptable specimen types include: Abscess, body fluids,  blood, bone marrow, CSF, skin, tissue and wounds.
• Isolates in pure culture. 
• Unsatisfactory specimens include, but may not be limited to:

-  Specimens that have leaked or were broken in transit

- Media was liquified

- Specimen contained gross contamination

- Missing required information

- Frozen specimens

- Raw samples received 3 days post collection

• Nashville