Specimen Requirements

Fresh stool specimen must arrive within 1 hour of collection or must be a SAF-preserved specimen received within 48 hours.

Do not send specimen if anti-diarrheal medications, oily laxatives and procedures with barium or bismuth has been given in the past 5 days.

1. Submit 2 mL of SAF preserved stool (or 2 mL of fresh stool in a screw-capped, sterile container if it can be delivered within 1 hour of the collection). (Do not contaminate stool specimen with urine or allow the stool to mix with water.) Only 1 specimen per day will be accepted unless it is a purged specimen.

2. Maintain sterility and forward promptly.

Note: 

1. Fresh specimen should be refrigerated and must be received within 1 hour. Preserved specimen may be kept at ambient temperature until delivered to laboratory and is stable for 7 days. 

2. Indicate specimen source on specimen container and in computer.