Microbiology

Microbiology Sample Collection Container Guide

Blood cultures

• Best Practices for Bacterial Blood Cultures

Cerebrospinal fluid 

• Guidelines for CSF collections
• Meningoencephalitis Ordering Pathway

Infectious Diarrhea Panel Collection/Ordering Guidance Documents:

• GI Ordering Job Aid for Inpatient Wards and Long-Term Care
• GI Ordering Job Aid for Outpatients 
• GI Ordering Job Aid for Emergency Department

Vaginitis & Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Collection/Ordering Guidance Documents:

• Poster: IH Clinical Job Aid for Vaginitis and Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing - Thompson Cariboo and Kootenays
• Poster: IH Clinical Job Aid for Vaginitis and Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing - Okanagan, Shuswap, Revelstoke, Princeton

Influenza Season and Respiratory Specimen Information:

• The Respiratory Viral testing ordering chart OM Flu Season - Acute Care
• The Respiratory Viral testing ordering chart OM Flu Season - Long Term Care
• Bronchoscopy Ordering Flow Chart for Microbiology Specimens

Sexually Transmitted Infections/Vaginitis Testing

• Multitest Clinician Vaginal Collection for IH Clinicians
• Unisex Swab Specimen Collection IH Clinicians
• To learn more about collection and ordering for vaginitis and sexually transmitted infections, click on the Ordering guidance for health-care providers drop down above

Stool

• Copan FecalSwab
• To learn more about collection and ordering for Infectious Diarrhea Panel and C. difficile testing, click on the Ordering guidance for health-care providers drop down above

Urine

• Grey top vacutainer - Collection method (1 minute video)

Routine culture for non-critical specimens (superficial wounds, superficial ear, eye, nose, throat, genital sites)

• Okanagan area only, NOT for deep wounds, ARO screening or OR/DI swabs:
  • ESwab
• Outside Okanagan area, or if deep wound, ARO screen or OR/DI swab:
  • Copan (M40) gel swab

Nasopharyngeal swab for respiratory pathogen testing

• Nasopharyngeal flocked swabs and UTM

Sexually Transmitted Infections/Vaginitis Testing

• Chlamydia/GC and/or Trichomoniasis – Urine
• Vaginal Swab for Chlamydia/GC and/or Trichomoniasis

Sputum

• Sputum for Culture & Sensitivity

Stool

• Stool for Culture: Sample Collection using FecalSwab™
• Stool for Molecular Parasite Panel using FecalSwab™
• Stool for Clostridium difficile (Cdiff)
• Stool for Helicobacter Pylori
• Stool for Ova and Parasites

Urine

• Urine Culture & Sensitivity (C&S) Female
• Urine Culture & Sensitivity (C&S) Male
• Patient Collection Instructions in Other Languages

IH Laboratory Requisition

IH Laboratory Requisition Requirements Job Aid

Information to include on the requisition and specimen label:

• Specimen source/collection site and/or fluid type
• Sequence number of sample collected if required (e.g., #1, #2, etc.)

Information to include on the requisition only:

• Current patient Antibiotic Therapy
• Any pertinent information: previous diagnosis, suspected diagnosis, suspected causative agent

Contact the medical microbiologist on call for any specimen inquiries.