OBJECTIVE To compare the simple, swab 'Kudoh method' for culturing Myobacterium tuberculosis from sputum samples, to the standard Petroff digestion-decontamination procedure. The Kudoh method, which requires no centrifugation and takes only 4-5 min per sample, was also evaluated for its performance in a rural setting. METHODS Two hospital laboratories in Caracas, Venezuela processed 314 sputu...

Nipah virus (NiV) has been transmitted from patient to caregivers in Bangladesh presumably through oral secretions. We aimed to detect whether NiV-infected patients contaminate hospital surfaces with the virus. During December 2013-April 2014, we collected 1 swab sample from 5 surfaces near NiV-infected patients and tested surface and oral swab samples by real-time reverse transcription PCR for...

OBJECTIVE To investigate, by use of the Amplicor PCR in a routine setting, the recovery rate of Chlamydia trachomatis in ano-rectal and pharyngeal swab samples obtained from males and females attending an STD clinic in relation to sexual practices, symptoms, and signs. DESIGN Data regarding sexual practices, and symptoms and signs related to the rectum and pharynx, were obtained from 196 fema...

Awidely perceived requirement for validation of all new specimen collection swabs by the laboratory appears to be the result of misinformation. Neither the College of American Pathologists (CAP) nor regulations through the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) address specifically the issue of swab validation for general specimen collection (1–4). While both regulatory agencies requ...

• Ask the patient to look down. • With one hand, take a new swab and moisten it in the solution. • With the thumb or a finger of the other hand, gently ease the upper eyelid up against the orbital rim (just below the eyebrow), taking care not to put any pressure on the eyeball. • With the swab, gently clean along the upper eyelid margin in one movement from inner to outer canthus (Figure 3). • ...

Two assays for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae were compared: the LCx Probe system (the LCx system; Abbott Diagnostic Laboratories, North Chicago, Ill.) and the COBAS AMPLICOR C. trachomatis/N. gonorrhoeae system (the COBAS AMPLICOR system; Roche Diagnostic Systems, Branchburg, N.J.). Endocervical swab specimens, male urethral swab specimens, and female and male...

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a skin puncture technique (blood-swab method) to collect blood for detection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in experimentally infected boars, and to examine the effect of sampling method (blood swab, serum, semen, or mouth swab) and rectal temperature on the ability to detect PRRSV in...

The fully automated COBAS AMPLICOR CT/NG test for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis was evaluated in a multicenter trial. Test performance was evaluated for 2,014 endocervical swab and 1,278 urine specimens obtained from women and for 373 urethral swab and 254 urine specimens obtained from men. Culture served as the reference test. Culture-negative, COBAS AMPLICOR-positive specimens that t...

We set out to determine whether nasal swab isolates can identify methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization and guide therapy in skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI). Among hospitalized patients admitted to a general medicine service with SSTI, specificity and positive predictive value for MRSA in nasal swab isolates were 100%; sensitivity was 55%. Thus, positive nasal sw...