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Annexure 3
Specimen collection and Transport of samples to C & DST laboratory
(including CBNAAT laboratory)
Specimen Collection
An often-overlooked problem is that of obtaining adequate good quality specimens at
theperipheral laboratories. Unless specimens are collected with care and promptly
transported tothe laboratory under temperature control, diagnosis may be missed,
and the patient couldmiss the chance to be detected and put on the correct
treatment. A good sputum specimenmay literally make the difference between life
and death, and allow containment of thedisease and prevent spread to others in the
family and community.
The Laboratory technician needs to explain the process of collecting “a good quality
sputumspecimen” and avoid using vernacular terminologies that convey the meaning
as salivainstead of sputum. In addition though the general guideline for collection of
sputa is one spotand one morning, this does not preclude from collecting 2 spot
specimens that need to becollected with a gap of at least one hour (60 minutes) if
the patient is coming from a longdistance or there is a likelihood that the patient may
default to give a second specimen.
A good sputum specimen consists of recently discharged material from the bronchial
tree,with minimum amounts of oral or nasopharyngeal material. Satisfactory quality
implies thepresence of mucoid or mucopurulent material. Ideally, a sputum specimen
should have avolume of 3-5ml. The patient must be advised to collect the specimen
in a sterile container(falcon tube) after through rinsing of the oral cavity with clean
water.
Specimens should be transported to the laboratory as soon as possible after
collection. Ifdelay is unavoidable, the specimens should be refrigerated up to 1 week
to inhibit the growthof unwanted micro-organisms.
Specimen transportation to culture-DST laboratories
Fresh sputum samples will need to be transported from the DMC to the RNTCP-
certified CDSTlaboratory in cold chain within 72 hours. Ideally an agency (courier /
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