Sputum 1. Collect 5-8 mL (minimum volume: 3 mL) of a first-morning “deep cough” sputum specimen into a Sputum Collection Kit. 2. Instruct patient to brush his/her teeth and/or rinse mouth well with water to minimize contaminating specimen with food particles, mouthwash, or oral drugs. 3. Have patient remove dentures. 4. Instruct patient to take a deep breath, hold it momentarily, then cough deeply and vigorously into Sputum Collection Kit or sterile container. 5. Label container with patient’s name (first and last), date and actual time of collection, and type of specimen. 6. Send specimen refrigerated. 7. Maintain sterility and forward promptly. First time positive sputum smear with acid-fast bacilli will automatically have MTBPCR performed. *Rejection Criteria: Quantity not sufficient, specimen other than sputum, specimen leaking, unlabeled or mislabeled specimen, sputum with visible food or solid particles, specimen without a minimum of 2 patient identifiers, specimen received after prolonged delay (more than 7 days), specimen in fixative. Note: 1. Grossly bloody specimen may inhibit assay.
MTB PCR and rifampin resistance detection (MTB/RIF assay by GeneXpert®) is an amplified nucleic acid test that uses PCR for the qualitative detection and identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex DNA in sputum. The assay will detect but not differentiate between the species of the MTB-complex (i.e., M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. africanum, M. canettii, M. microti, M. caprae, M. pinnipedi, M. mungi, and M. orygis). This assay also will detect mutations of the rpoB gene associated with rifampin resistance. Resistance to rifampin is often an indication of multidrug resistance to tuberculosis. Molecular resistance detection must be confirmed by a reference laboratory (NYS-DOH).
Days Performed
Results available within 72 hours of receipt. Test performed on mycobacteria culture processed specimen.
