Specimen Collection Requirements

In order to obtain an adequate specimen, the procedure for specimen collection must be followed closely.

1) Using a dry, clean container, liquid or soft stool specimens are collected according to the following procedure:
• Unpreserved specimens: Transfer the liquid or soft stool specimen to a dry, clean container.
• Cary-Blair preserved specimens: Transfer the liquid or soft stool specimen to a 15 mL transport device according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
2) Label the container and transport to the laboratory.

Collected specimens, either unpreserved stool or stool stored in Cary-Blair transport media should be kept between 2 °C and 25 °C during transport. Protect against exposure to excessive heat.
Specimen can be stored for up to 120 hours (5 days) at 2–8 °C or for up to 48 hours at 2–25 °C before testing.

NOTE: Avoid contamination with water or urine and avoid mixing toilet paper or soap with the specimen.