TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluation of the BD vacutainer plus urine C&S preservative tubes compared with nonpreservative urine samples stored at 4°C and room temperature
AU - Eisinger, Stephen W.
AU - Schwartz, Matthew
AU - Dam, Lisa
AU - Riedel, Stefan
PY - 2013/9
Y1 - 2013/9
N2 - Objectives: The stability of urine specimens submitted for culture remains a challenge for many laboratories because of delays in specimen transport. We evaluated the usefulness of BD Vacutainer Plus Urine C&S Preservative Tube in ensuring specimen stability. Methods: Clinical urine specimens collected in sterile collection cups (n = 110) were plated onto sheep blood and MacConkey agar following standard laboratory procedures guidelines. Thereafter, specimens were divided into 3 storage conditions: nonpreservative, refrigerated; nonpreservative, room temperature (RT); BD Vacutainer Plus Urine C&S Preservative Tube, RT. For each sample type, additional cultures were set up at 2, 4, 24, and 48 hours. Results: Initially, 18 specimens had no growth, 32 showed mixed skin flora, and 60 yielded at least 1 uropathogen. Increased colony counts of uropathogens were observed for nonpreserved urine samples stored at RT; these changes were statistically significant. Minor differences between refrigerated urine samples and BD Vacutainer Plus Urine C&S Preservative Tube samples were seen but were not statistically significant. Conclusions: The use of preservative-containing collection tubes is desirable to ensure specimen stability when prompt processing or refrigeration is not feasible.
AB - Objectives: The stability of urine specimens submitted for culture remains a challenge for many laboratories because of delays in specimen transport. We evaluated the usefulness of BD Vacutainer Plus Urine C&S Preservative Tube in ensuring specimen stability. Methods: Clinical urine specimens collected in sterile collection cups (n = 110) were plated onto sheep blood and MacConkey agar following standard laboratory procedures guidelines. Thereafter, specimens were divided into 3 storage conditions: nonpreservative, refrigerated; nonpreservative, room temperature (RT); BD Vacutainer Plus Urine C&S Preservative Tube, RT. For each sample type, additional cultures were set up at 2, 4, 24, and 48 hours. Results: Initially, 18 specimens had no growth, 32 showed mixed skin flora, and 60 yielded at least 1 uropathogen. Increased colony counts of uropathogens were observed for nonpreserved urine samples stored at RT; these changes were statistically significant. Minor differences between refrigerated urine samples and BD Vacutainer Plus Urine C&S Preservative Tube samples were seen but were not statistically significant. Conclusions: The use of preservative-containing collection tubes is desirable to ensure specimen stability when prompt processing or refrigeration is not feasible.
KW - BD vacutainer plus urine C&S preservative tube
KW - Specimen stability
KW - Specimen transport
KW - Urine culture
KW - Urine specimen storage
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U2 - 10.1309/AJCP5ON9JHXVNQOD
DO - 10.1309/AJCP5ON9JHXVNQOD
M3 - Article
C2 - 23955448
AN - SCOPUS:84882755824
SN - 0002-9173
VL - 140
SP - 306
EP - 313
JO - American journal of clinical pathology
JF - American journal of clinical pathology
IS - 3
ER -