Overview
MDL Test Name
Cerebral Spinal Fluid Culture and Gram Stain
MDL Test Code
CSF_CULT
Ask at Order Questions
CSF Volume?
CSF Color?
CSF Clarity?
Specimen Source
Cerebral Spinal Fluid (specify source/collection method: i.e.: Lumbar puncture, shunt, ventricular shunt, etc.)
Specimen Requirements
Container/Tube
Sterile Container
Specimen Volume (minimum)
0.5mL
Sample Stability Time
48 hours
Transport/Storage Conditions
Ambient (20 – 25°C); maintain at room temperature
Patient Preparation / Collection Instructions
Collected by health care provider using sterile technique. Contamination with normal flora from skin (or other body surfaces) should be avoided.
Performance
Days Performed
Daily; Monday – Sunday
Report Available (TAT) – (Once received at MDL)
4 – 6 days
Specimen Retention Time
7 days
Method Description
Conventional aerobic bacterial culture technique with selective and non-
selective media.
Identification methods (when appropriate) may include any of the following: conventional biochemical testing, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, and commercial identification panels.
Susceptibility testing (when appropriate) may include minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) (broth microdilution or gradient strip diffusion) or disk diffusion.
Reference Values
No growth
Cautions
This order does NOT include an anaerobic culture. If an anaerobic culture is desired, please use order: CSF_CULT_ANAGS (Cerebral Spinal Fluid Culture Aerobic, Anaerobic, and Gram Stain).
False-negative cultures can be caused by low numbers of organisms, prior antimicrobial treatment, or the fastidious nature of the infective organism.
False-positive cultures can result from contamination of the specimen with skin microbiota.