SUMMARY OF TRANSPORT MEDIA FOR BACTERIOLOGY

Specimen type Test required Container

Blood & Bone Bact/Alert bottles (*)
Marrow Aerobic culture Aerobic
- Adult (green - FA)
Aerobic & Anaerobic culture - Paeds (yellow - PF)
Anaerobic
Fungus culture - Orange (FN)
(Candidasis only)

Heparin tube (*)

Fungus culture
(for dimorphic fungi and
mould)

Heparin tube (*)

(EDTA tube not suitable)
Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB)
culture

EDTA tube (*)

TB Molecular detection

Blood (serum) ASOT

Mycoplasma IgG Plain (red top) or
Chikungunya IgM Gold top tube (*)
Aspergillus galactomannan
Antigen

Cryptococcal Antigen

Body Fluid, Body

Aerobic culture
Aspirate Sterile container (*)
Aerobic & Anaerobic culture

Fungus culture
Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB)
culture & smear

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CSF Aerobic culture
Sterile container (*)
Fungus culture
Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB)
culture & smear
Cryptococcal Antigen (CSF)
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Antigen detection
Aspergillus galactomannan
Antigen (CSF)

Eye / Cornea
Scrapping Aerobic culture

Aerobic & Anaerobic culture

Chocolate plate Blood plate (¤)

Sabouraud’s plate with

chloramphenicol (¤)
Fungus culture

Page Saline (¤)

Acanthamoeba culture

Slide (¤)
Microsporidium microscopy
(eye / cornea)

Genital tract swab Aerobic culture

Trichomonas / Candida /
Bacterial vaginosis
Amies Transystem (*)
Streptococcus Group B
screening

Pus and Wound Aerobic culture

swab Aerobic & Anaerobic culture
Fungus culture
Amies Transystem (*)
Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB)
culture & smear

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Respiratory
Aerobic culture
specimens Sterile container (*)
(sputum, ETT
aspirate, BAL), Fungus culture
Nose and Throat
swabs Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB)
culture & smear

TB Molecular detection

Aspergillus galactomannan Amies Transystem (*)

Antigen (BAL) (for Nose & Throat swab)

Skin scrapping, nail Sterile container (*)

clipping, hair Fungus smear

Fungus culture

Scabies microscopy
(skin scrapping)

Nasal, Axilla, Groin

swabs MRSA screening
Amies Transystem (*)

Rectal swab CRE screening

VRE screening Amies Transystem (*)

Stool Aerobic culture

Occult blood Sterile container with
Rotavirus antigen spatula (*)
Ova, cysts & trophozoite
C. difficle toxin
Faecal Fat
Cryptosporidium,
Cyclospora, Isospora
Microscopy
Microsporidium Microscopy
(stool)
CRE screening (stool)
VRE screening (stool)

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Tissue / Biopsy / Aerobic culture
Bone Aerobic & Anaerobic culture Sterile container (*)
Fungus culture
Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB)
culture & smear
TB Molecular detection

Helicobacter pylori culture

(gastric biopsy) Gastric biopsy for H. pylori culture: send
biopsy containing 2 – 3 drops sterile saline.

Urethral, Cervical,
Neonatal eye
Gonococcus culture
Amies Transytem M40 (*)

Urine
Boric acid container (Adult) (*)

Aerobic culture
Boric acid container (Paeds) (¤)

Fungus culture
Sterile container (*)
Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB)
culture
TB Molecular detection

Legionella Antigen detection

Streptococcus pneumoniae
Antigen detection
Urine Red Cell Morphology

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Other Microbiology Aerobic culture
specimens Aerobic & anaerobic culture Sterile container (*)
(please specify Fungus culture
collection site)
Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB)
culture & smear
TB Molecular detection
Gram smear
Fungus smear
Amies Transystem (*)
AFB smear

(*): For in-house NUH patients, please obtain from MMD ext 25196.

(¤): Please obtain container from NUH Microbiology Laboratory ext 24343.

Note: For non-NUH clients, please liaise with National University Hospital Referral Laboratory
(65) 6778 5171.

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SUMMARY OF TRANSPORT MEDIA FOR VIROLOGY
Specimen type Test required Container
Blood CMV isolation
EDTA tube (*)

Respiratory: Respiratory IF
Nasal aspirate / Influenza A & B IF Sterile container (*)
Bronchoalveolar
lavage (BAL)

Respiratory virus isolation

Universal transport medium (UTM) and

Flocked swab (¤)

Swab Immunofluorescence (IF)

- from vesicles / Sterile container (*)
mucous membrane
/ eye
Aspirate
- from vesicles

Virus isolation

Universal Transport Medium (UTM) and

Flocked swab(¤)

Stool Enterovirus Sterile container with

spatula (*)

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Urine CMV isolation
Adenovirus isolation CMV transport medium (¤)

(*): For in-house NUH patients, please obtain from MMD ext 25196.

(¤): Please obtain container from NUH Microbiology Laboratory ext 24343.

Note: For non-NUH clients, please liaise with National University Hospital Referral Laboratory
(65) 6778 5171.

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