Specimen Requirements

Specimen must arrive within 15 minutes of collection.

1. Submit at least 1 mL of spinal fluid in a screw-capped, sterile vial.

2. Label vial with patient’s name (first and last), date and actual time of collection, and type of specimen.

3. Maintain sterility and forward promptly at ambient temperature only. Do not refrigerate.

Note:  1. If only 1 tube of spinal fluid is collected, it should be submitted to Microbiology Department first. Otherwise, submit tube 2 to Microbiology Department.

2. Specimen source is required on request form for processing.