Specimen Requirements

Acceptable Specimens:

Bronchial lavage or bronchial washing

Unacceptable Specimens:

Sputum

Pretreatment of specimen with fixatives such as formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde, or ethanol is not recommended, as this can cause a decrease or loss of fluorescence.

1. Submit specimen in a screw-capped, sterile container.

2. Label container with patient’s name (first and last), date and actual time of collection, and type of specimen.

3. Send specimen refrigerated. Maintain sterility and forward promptly.

Note:  Specimen source is required on request form for processing.