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Fungal Culture, Blood or Bone marrow
| Item | Value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval req'd? | Yes, consult Microbiology at x3-1268 for fungal blood culture requests. | ||||
| Available Stat? | No | ||||
| Utilization Guidelines | Fungal blood cultures are indicated only for Histoplasma capsulatum, however, bone marrow is the preferred specimen for this organism. Yeasts such as candida grow well in routine blood cultures and a specific 'fungal culture' order is unnecessary for detecting yeasts. Aspergillus and other molds will not grow in blood cultures; a tissue specimen is required for these organisms. |
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| Test code | P258 | ||||
| Test group | Fungal Culture | ||||
| Performed by | Microbiology | ||||
| In House Availability | Set up daily, day and evening shifts | ||||
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| Sample type | Heparinized blood or bone marrow | ||||
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| UCSF Rejection Criteria | Blood submitted in Lithium heparin (Lt. Green top) vacutainer. | ||||
| Normal range | |||||
| Critical value | Biphasic fungus (e.g. Coccidiodes immitis) isolated. | ||||
| Synonyms | H. capsulatum; Histoplasma capsulatum | ||||
| Stability | Refrigerated 24 hours | ||||
| Turn around times | Up to 4 weeks | ||||
| Additional information | Routine blood cultures are incubated for 5 days, sufficient to detect yeast. If a history of travel to an endemic area suggests the need to culture for histoplasma or other agents, contact Microbiology (x3-1268). Submit bone marrow in a 1.5 mL ISOLATOR tube (ask that the Hematology technologist bring a tube to the bone marrow collection procedure), and specify, e.g., "Look for Histoplasma" on the request slip. KOH smears are not routinely performed on bone marrow. See also Mycology section in text at front of Lab Manual. |
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| CPT coding | 87103 | ||||
| LOINC code | 572-8 | ||||
| Last Updated | 5/19/2011 3:36:23 PM | ||||
| Entry Number | 402 |
If you have additional questions regarding this test, please call: 415-353-1667