Specimen Requirements

Submit only 1 of the following specimens:

Closed Vesicle or Pustule

1. Carefully disinfect area with 70% alcohol and allow to dry.
2. Obtain specimen with needle and syringe, or break skin with sterile needle and collect specimen with swab.
3. Expel any accumulated air in syringe, remove needle, and cap syringe; or place in ESwab (See Instructions for Collection Using ESwab below).  Be sure specimen is in transport media.
4. Label specimen with patient’s name, date of birth or hospital medical record number, specimen source, date and time of collection, and collector’s initials.

Open Wound

1. Carefully wipe off old top drainage and antiseptic with sterile gauze.
2. Swab depth of wound (See Instructions for Collection Using ESwab below). 
3. Label specimen with patient’s name, date of birth or hospital medical record number, specimen source, date and time of collection, and collector’s initials.

Syringe Aspiration (When Much Purulence is Present)

1. Carefully wipe off old top drainage with sterile gauze.
2. Aspirate with syringe material from deepest portion of active margin, expel any accumulated air, remove needle, and cap syringe.
3. Label syringe with patient’s name, date of birth or hospital medical record number, specimen source, date and time of collection, and collector’s initials.

Superficial Surface (Decubiti, Mouth, Skin, Ulcers, or Cellulitis with Drainage)

Needle Aspiration of Advancing Margin of a Non-Draining Infected Area (Collected by Physician)

1. Cleanse area with 70% alcohol.
2. Just prior to aspiration, inject small amount (0.1-0.2 mL) of sterile saline into inflamed areas.
3. Aspirate with sterile needle and syringe, expel any accumulated air, remove needle, and cap syringe.
4. Label syringe with patient’s name, date of birth or hospital medical record number, specimen source, date and time of collection, and collector’s initials.

Swab

1. Aseptically remove encrusted skin with a sterile scalpel.
2. Gently cleanse site with sterile water or saline solution not containing bactericidal agents. Dry area with sterile gauze to remove as much surface contamination as possible.
3. Express any exudate and collect on ESwab by rolling tip over entire surface (See Instructions for Collection Using ESwab below).
4. Label specimen with patient’s name, date of birth or hospital medical record number, specimen source, date and time of collection, and collector’s initials.

a. If lesion is scaly, scrape scales from border of lesion and submit as specimen in a screw-capped, sterile container.

b. Ulcer specimen should be collected from margin and base. Avoid area where healing is occurring.

Instructions for Collection Using ESwab:

1. Open the ESwab peel pouch
2. Remove the FLOQSwab from the pouch
3. Collect the sample, making sure fingers are above the red molded breakpoint
4. Uncap the ESwab tube
5. Place the FLOQSwab in the ESwab tube
6. Break the FLOQSwab applicator shaft at the molded, color marked breakpoint, ensuring that fingers are always above the breakpoint
7. Recap the ESwab tube