Specimen Requirements

Acceptable Specimens: 

Eye:

• Ocular or corneal swab - inoculate into Page's saline with flocked swab in collection kit
• Contact lens, corneal scraping, or biopsy - inoculate into Page's saline in collection kit
• Note: Eswabs or specimens received in Amies transport media are NOT acceptable

CSF: >1 mL in a leakproof, screw-capped, sterile container

Biopsy or Tissue (brain, lung, skin abscess, etc): >1 g in a leakproof, screw-capped, sterile container

Exudates and other body fluids (pleural, synovial, etc): >1 mL in a leakproof, screw-capped, sterile container

Labeling Procedure:

Specimen source is required.

Indicate "Look for Acanthamoeba" on test order or requisition.

Collection Procedure:

If office site is located off BJH campus, call Barnes-Jewish Laboratory Customer Service at 314-362-1470 for consultation and instructions to arrange for media.

Inoculation of Page's saline with or without flocked swab in collection kit by Physician (ocular or corneal swab, contact lens, corneal scraping, or biopsy) - Collection instructions can be found here.
 

Call Barnes-Jewish Hospital Laboratory Customer Service at 314-362-1470 to obtain collection kit and special instructions from the Microbiology Lab. 

Eye:

• Ocular or corneal swab - obtain specimen with flocked swab provided in the collection kit. Place swab into the Page's saline tube.
• Contact lens, corneal scraping, or biopsy - place the specimen in the Page's saline tube provided in the collection kit.

1. Place inoculated tube in Ziploc bag.
2. Keep specimen at room temperature.
3. Maintain sterility and forward to lab promptly.

CSF

1. Aseptically collect >1 mL of CSF.
2. Place specimen in leakproof, screw-capped, sterile container.
3. Maintain sterility and forward to lab promptly.
4. Keep specimen at room temperature.

Tissue

1. Aseptically collect >1 g of tissue.
2. Place specimen in leakproof, screw-capped, sterile container.
3. Maintain sterility and forward to lab promptly.
4. Keep specimen at room temperature.

Exudates and other body fluids (pleural, synovial, etc)

1. Aseptically collect >1 mL of specimen.
2. Place specimen in leakproof, screw-capped, sterile container.
3. Maintain sterility and forward to lab promptly.
4. Keep specimen at room temperature.