Upper Respiratory Culture

Test ID: 

706667

CPT code:

83520

Synonyms:

Culture, Viral, General
General Viral Culture
Routine Viral Culture
Viral Respiratory Culture
Virus Culture/Isolation

Clinical Use:

Aid in the diagnosis of viral respiratory disease

Test Information:

Give date of onset of illness, date of collection, and brief clinical description or the provisional diagnosis.

Specimen Type:

Nasopharyngeal (NP) aspirate or wash, NP swab

Requested Volume: 

1 mL fluid or one swab in transport

Container Type: 

Viral, Chlamydia, or Mycoplasma culture transport , or other appropriate transport medium; sterile screw-cap tube or container for nasal washings or bronchoalveolar lavage

Patient Prep:

Specimen should be collected during acute phase of disease.

Throat swab: Carefully rub the posterior wall of the nasopharynx with a dry, sterile swab. Avoid touching the tongue or buccal mucosa. Place swab in viral transport tube.

Storage Instructions:

Specimen must be kept cold and moist.

Expected Turnaround Time:

1 to 2 Days

Rejection Criteria

Bacterial swab specimen; specimen received in grossly leaking transport container; dry specimen; specimen submitted in fixative or additives; specimen received in expired transport media or incorrect transport device; inappropriate specimen transport conditions; specimen received after prolonged delay in transport (usually more than 72 hours); specimen stored or transported at room temperature; wooden shaft swab in transport device; unlabeled specimen or name discrepancy between specimen and request label