Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB)(Sterile Site) Resp Culture/Smear
Order Name
C AFB 2 LC
Test Number: 6000130
Revision Date 08/04/2026
Test Number: 6000130
Revision Date 08/04/2026
| Test Name | Methodology | LOINC Code |
|---|---|---|
|
Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB)(Sterile Site) Resp Culture/Smear
|
Culture |
| SPECIMEN REQUIREMENTS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specimen | Specimen Volume (min) | Specimen Type | Specimen Container | Transport Environment |
| Preferred | See Instructions | See Instructions | See Instructions | Refrigerated |
| Alternate 1 | 10 mL (5 mL) | Tissue | Sterile Screwtop Container | Refrigerated |
| Alternate 2 | 10 mL (5 mL) | Fluid | Sterile Screwtop Container | Refrigerated |
| Instructions | Specimen: First morning sputum (not saliva) (three separate specimens with each one collected and submitted on three separate days is recommended), fasting gastric aspirate, induced sputum, whole blood, tissue, biopsy, bronchial aspirate, urine, skin, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), bone marrow, body fluid, stool. Swabs of exudate from skin sources are acceptable, otherwise swab specimens should not be submitted. Collect aspirate using sterile, nonbacteriostatic saline or other noninhibitory medium. Do not send syringe; it will be rejected. Volume: 5-10 mL sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) or other respiratory specimen; 10 mL whole blood; 2 cm3 tissue; 5 mL CSF; 5-10 mL bone marrow (or as much as possible); 5-10 mL body fluid (pleural, pericardial, chronic peritoneal dialysate); 5-10 mL gastric aspirate/lavage (neutralized to pH 7 with sodium carbonate within 4 hours of collection); 20-40 mL urine (first morning specimen); 5 mL or 1 g stool; biopsy of skin. Minimum Volume: 2 mL (respiratory specimen, body fluid, CSF, gastric aspirate/lavage); 20 mL urine Container: Sterile container with tight screw-cap seal or green-top (sodium heparin) tube or yellow-top (SPS) tube or Para-Pak® White Stability: Refrigerated 7 days Storage Instructions: Refrigerate. If sample is to be split for other tests, specimen should be divided at the time of collection so that each portion is transported at the appropriate temperature. Causes for Rejection: Inadequate quantity of specimen, swab of specimen where the source is other than superficial exudate; specimen received in expired transport media or inappropriate transport device; specimen received after prolonged delay (more than seven days); specimen received after leaking out of transport container into the specimen bag (trach-suction devices will often leak if the cap with tubing is not removed and replaced by a solid cap); syringe with attached needle; unlabeled specimen or name discrepancy between specimen and request label; lithium heparin tube; specimen submitted with eSwab device; specimen in paraffin block; specimen in a fixative; specimen submitted frozen |
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| GENERAL INFORMATION | |
|---|---|
| Testing Schedule | Daily |
| Expected TAT | 43-56 days |
| Clinical Use | AKA: Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) Resp Culture and Smear LC 183753 [LCA Name: Acid-fast (Mycobacteria) Smear and Culture With Reflex to Identification] |
| Performing Labcorp Test Code | 183753 |
| Notes | Methodology: Concentrated smears are stained with auramine/rhodamine and read by fluorescence microscopy, broth-based and/or agar-based culture. Culture is held for six weeks before negative is reported. Organisms from culture are identified by use of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or MALDI-TOF and/or nucleic acid sequencing. Links to test Changes for this assay Effective 08/03/2026 08-03-2026_LiveWire.xlsx (Updated version) 08-03-2026_LiveWire.pdf (Updated version) |
| CPT Code(s) | 87116, 87206 |
| Lab Section | Reference Lab |