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Print CPT 87101
Synonyms
- Blood Culture, Fungus
- Culture, Fungus (Mycology)
- Fungus Culture, Blood
Test Details
Turnaround Time
7 - 10 days
Use
Blood: Isolate and identify yeast; establish the diagnosis of fungemia, fungal endocarditis and disseminated mycosis in patients at risk for fungal infections
Test Includes
If a yeast is isolated, it will be automatically reflexed to identification.
Limitations
Blood: A single (or even multiple) negative fungal blood culture does not exclude disseminated fungal infection. If disseminated or deep fungal infection is strongly suspected despite repeatedly negative blood cultures, biopsy of the appropriate tissue and/or bone marrow aspiration for sections and fungus culture should be considered.
Filamentous fungi will not be recovered by this methodology specifically: Systemic fungal pathogens (ie, Histoplasma capsulatum, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Coccidioides immitis) will not be recovered by this culture. Dermatophytes (Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermophyton) will not be recovered by this culture.
Not recommended for sterile body sites, corneal scrapings, or surgically-collected specimens.
Stool: Use of this test is generally limited to screening for Candida.
Methodology
Culture
Specimen Requirements
Information on collection, storage, and volume
Specimen
Aspirate, biopsy, blood, body fluid, nails, skin, sputum, stool, swab of conjunctiva, throat, urine, vaginal
Volume
2 mL or 1 cm³ tissue, 10 mL blood, whole nails, 50 mL body fluid (5 mL CSF), 5 mL aspirates or sputum; skin scrapings may be submitted on Mycosel media (not supplied by LabCorp)
Container
Sterile screw-capped container for fluid or tissue or green-top (sodium heparin) tube, blood culture bottle, bacterial swab transport, ESwab®, Para-Pak® White for stool
Storage Instructions
Maintain specimen at room temperature.
Collection
Biopsy: Surgical specimen in sterile container. Sterile nonbacteriostatic water may be used to prevent drying. Body fluid, aspirates: Aspirated material in sterile container.
Skin and nails: Cleanse the area with 70% alcohol prior to specimen collection. Nail scraping should be from a subsurface portion of the infected nail. Skin should be taken from the active border of the lesion.
Stool: Random sample in sterile container.
Swabs of throat, nose, nasopharynx, ear: Swab affected area or visible lesion.
Urine: Clean catch midstream sample in sterile container.
Wound: Aspirate of purulent material or fluid; scraping of lesion border, or swab (least preferred) in sterile container. Swabs cannot be split for other tests.
Avoid contamination of the specimen with commensal organism as much as possible. Specify the source of the specimen and include any pertinent clinical information. Cultures are incubated one week before a final report is issued.