Test Catalogue

Urogenital samples:Urethral swabs,Prostatic secretions,Semen,Urinary calculi,Cervical swabs,High vaginal swabs,Endometrial tissue,Tubal samples,Fluid from the pouch of DouglasRespiratory samples (neonates only):Nasopharyngeal,Throat secretions,Endotracheal secretions,BALSamples from sterile sites: lood,CSF,Joint fluid,Fluid or tissue from other sterile sitesSwabsWhen swabs are obtained from patients, care should be taken to sample as many cells as possible, sincemycoplasmas are cell-associated.Special mycoplasma transport media should be requested from Client Services (Tel: 6321 4950/4952/4904) in preparation for taking the specimen which should be inoculated into the media. As the swabsticks may be toxic to the mycoplasmas, the swabs should be swirled and squeezed against the side of the container and then discarded. They should never be left in the container.Tissue and fluid from all sites:Small pieces of tissue (< 5 g),Small volumes (< 1 mL) of fluid/pus.These should be sent in the mycoplasma transport media to ensure viability of the organism. Large amounts of such samples may be sent in plain, sterile containers.Blood:10 mL of blood obtained aseptically should be inoculated into an Anaerobic blood culture bottle commonly available in the wards.