Eye Culture and Sensitivity with Gram

Obtain 0.5 mL TSoy broth (or agar media per physician request) from Microbiology Lab in advance of obtaining specimen.

External Eye: Disinfect skin near eye. Moisten swab in sterile saline. Swab lower conjunctiva, avoiding lid/lashes. Transport in a sterile tube with 0.5 mL broth.

Scrapings: Corneal scrapings should be obtained by an ophthalmologist. Use local anaesthetic and platinum spatula. Agar media is inoculated directly by physician onto agar with sterile spatula. Make several C-shaped cut marks into different areas on the agars.

Internal Eye: Surgical specimen in sterile container. Label carefully as left or right eye. Transport to lab immediately.

Note: Swab in Amies gel transport medium or liquid Amies transport medium (ESwab) will be accepted, but the Amies media dilutes the tiny specimen.

Universal Transport Medium (UTM) is not acceptable.

Fluid: Collect in a sterile leak-proof container. Transport at room temperature to the lab immediately.

Swabs: Transport at room temperature, ideally within 4 hours of collection, but not more than 24 hours after collection.

• Preferred transport media: Swab in sterile tube with 0.5 mL TSoy broth (obtained from Micro lab).
• Acceptable: Eswab or Amies gel swab.
• Unacceptable: Specimens collected in Universal Transport Medium (UTM); dry swabs; specimens collected with expired swabs/transport media.

Corneal scrapings: Collect in sterile container. Transport at room temperature to the lab immediately.

Direct inoculation of agar media: Transport at room temperature to the lab immediately.

Specimens will be rejected if received > 24 hours after collection. Viability of organisms is significantly reduced after 24 hours.

Refrigeration is NOT ideal for bacterial culture as it decreases recovery of Strep. pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae.

If physician requests agar media for direct inoculation, provide the agar media listed in culture setup instructions, as well as two clean frosted slides in a slide box. Place all in a plastic sack. Microbiology should not streak the agar plates that have been inoculated by the clinician.

For vitreous or intraocular fluid: Order FLDANC. If specimen quantity is not sufficient for all tests ordered, page the LMR to help prioritize testing.