Respiratory culture - Lower respiratory tract, Fungal
- Test Name:
- Respiratory culture - Lower respiratory tract, Fungal
- Organism(s)/Disease(s):
-
Adiaspiromycosis (fungal infection)
Aspergillosis
Cryptococcus
Fungal
- Body Source(s):
-
Bronchial wash
Sputum
-
Clinical Prerequisite(s):
-
Provision of relevant clinical information is important to ensure a clinical relevant result
- State specimen source
- State current antibiotic therapy and start date
- State any antibiotics the patient has had in the last 3 months
- Provide clinical history. State symptoms and signs, and their duration
- State if "yeast" or "Filamentous fungus/mould" culture is required to ensure proper processing
- Is there any underlying respiratory disease (e.g. bronchiechiectasis, cystic fibrosis, COPD, asthma, malignancy)?
- Has the patient recently had influenza or other viral respiratory tract infection?
- Is the patient immunocompromised (e.g. steroid therapy, chemotherapy, post-transplant, immunosuppressive therapy, neutropenia malignancy)?
Note:
- Refer to APL Public Health (ProvLab) for all suspected Risk Group 3 fungal pathogens - Collection Device/Tube Type:
-
Sterile 60 mL plastic container (orange-top)
- Collection Instructions:
-
EXPECTORATED SPUTUM
1.
If possible, have patient rinse mouth and gargle with water prior to collection
2.
Instruct patient NOT to expectorate saliva or postnasal discharge into container
3.
Collect specimen resulting from deep cough into sterile container
- Do not overfill container
- Do not contaminate external surface of container
INDUCED SPUTUM
1.
Brush buccal mucosa, tongue, and gums using a wet toothbrush prior to collection
2.
Rinse patient’s mouth thoroughly with water
3.
Have patient inhale nebulized hypertonic saline using an ultrasonic nebulizer
4.
Collect induced sputum into sterile container
- Do not overfill container
- Do not contaminate external surface of container
- Handling and Storage:
-
Refrigerate
- Handling/Storage Comments:
-
- Submit to Laboratory as soon as possible after collection
- Ensure container does not leak and lid is not cross threaded
- Rejection Criteria:
-
- Mislabelled or unlabelled specimen/requisition
- Leaking specimen
- Sputum samples heavily contaminated with saliva
- When more than one sample is received on the same day, only one will be processed
- Turnaround Times
- See Microbiology Information»
- Last Reviewed:
- 04 November 2021
