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Specimen Collection. Specimen Collection. Materials for Specimen Collection. Viral Transport media in collection tubes Polyester fiber tipped swabs Personal protective equipment Specimen submission forms. Materials for Specimen Collection.
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Materials for Specimen Collection • Viral Transport media in collection tubes • Polyester fiber tipped swabs • Personal protective equipment • Specimen submission forms
Materials for Specimen Collection • Should be dacron, rayon, or polyester fiber swabs • Do not use cotton swabs with wooden sticks or swabs containing calcium alginate; inhibits PCR
Visual Resources • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgVZ3p8OJ0A • http://www.copanusa.com/downloads/education/ • http://www.copanusa.com/products/utm/animation.php
Specimen Handling • Swab specimens should be placed in a biohazard bag and placed at 4°C • Transport to laboratory as soon as possible • Specimens may be stored at 4°C for 2 days; longer storage will require freezing at -70 °C • Do not store in standard freezer – keep on ice or in refrigerator • Avoid freeze-thaw cycles; better to keep on ice for a week than to have repeat freeze and thaw