Advanced Diagnostic Laboratories

Collect

• • •  
• Collection of stool specimens should be during the acute or diarrheal stage of intestinal infections.
• Collected in a clean, dry container without any urine or paper toweling as a contaminant.
• May be sent in a clean container (only fresh stool) or in Cary-Blair medium.
• Rectal swabs in a buffered medium for transport (for pediatrics).

Patient Prep

Avoid recent antibiotics, x-ray contrast material, antidiarrheal medications, antacids, bismuth or oil products.                                                                                   

Unacceptable Conditions

• • •  
• Diapers
• Unpreserved stool samples:
  •  >2 hours after collection room temperature (20-25°C).
  • >24 hours  after collection refrigerated (2-8°C).
• Specimen in transport media:
  • >48 hours after collection refrigerated (2-8°C). 
  • > 24 hours at room temperature (20-25°C).
• Transport medium systems which have not passed their internal quality control safeguards.
• Any transport media other than Cary-Blair medium.
• Hard, solid stool specimen.
• Specimen excessively leaking.
• More than one specimen per patient per visit.
• Specimens from patients admitted more than 3 days.

Storage Transport Temp

• • •  
• Unpreserved stool:
  •  2 hours from collection at room temperature (20-25°C).
  • 24 hours if refrigerated (2-8°C).
• Cary-Blair
  •  48 hours refrigerated (2-8°C).

Stability

• Stool should be delievered to the laboratory as soon as possible.
• Unpreserved stool:
  •  2 hours from collection at room temperature (20-25°C).
  • 24 hours if refrigerated (2-8°C).
• Cary-Blair
  •  48 hours refrigerated (2-8°C).

Performed

7 days a week from 8am to 6 pm.

Methodology

Conventional culture

Turnaround Time

Expected turn around time is 3 days.

Department

Microbiology Lab

Synonyms

STOLC

Study Offerings

Not offered

Reference Interval

No Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, Campylobacter, Aeromonas, Plesiomonas, Yersinia or E. coli O157:H7 isolated.

Interpretation

Organisms reportable as pathogens in any quanity:

• Salmonella spp.
•  Shigella spp.
•  Vibrio spp.
• Campylobacter spp.
• Aeromonas spp.
• Plesiomonas spp.
• Yersinia 
• E. coli O157:H7

Organisms reprotable as pathogens is specific quanities:

• Pure or predominant Bacillus cereus
• Pure Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Pure Staphylococcus aureus
• Pure yeast

Antimicrobial Susceptibility testing is only routinely performed on Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. All other pathogens cause self-limiting gastroenteritis and susceptibilities are not benefical. Susceptibility testing is contraindicated for E. coli O157:H7. Treatment with antibiotic for enterohemorragic colitis can induce bacterial cell lysis with the release of toxin, which may increase the risk of developing hemolyic uremic syndrome (HUS).

CPT Code

87045

New York Approved

Standard

FDA

Standard Method