Respiratory specimens

Respiratory specimens include nasal swab, throat swab, sputum, tracheal/bronchial secretion and bronchial lavage fluid..

Type	Sample material	Specimen collection
Upper respiratory materials	Nasal swab	Introduce swab into a nostril (in adults at least 2 cm deep) and rotate; insert swab into the transport system that contains the transport medium
Upper respiratory materials	Throat swab	Press and rotate swab against the pharyngeal wall; then insert swab into transport medium
Lower respiratory secretions	Sputum	Ask patient to rinse mouth several times with tap water, then breathe in and out deeply ten times, expectorate secretion and spit it out into the labelled container – ship container immediately
	Tracheal/bronchial secretion	As soon as possible after changing the tracheal tube, insert suction catheter as deeply as possible and aspirate secretion; it is best to obtain several secretions from different locations.
	Bronchial lavage fluid	Aspirate secretions in the nasal, oral and pharyngeal cavities before bronchoscopy; insert the tip of the bronchoscope into the bronchial lumen and seal; inject up to 150 mL sterile isotonic saline and aspirate after a short time; collect lavage in containers

Test materials