Tissue or aspirates are preferred rather than swabs. Fluid collections should be aspirated through disinfected tissue or skin. For superficial ulcers, collect material from below the surface (after surface debridement or use a needle and syringe). Submit specimens using anaerobic transport media: a. Anaerobic vial (fluid specimen, 59546): Cleanse rubber stopper with alcohol; allow to dry 1 min before inoculation; push needle through septum and inject specimen on top of agar. b. Anaerobic jar (tissue specimen, 59547). c. A sterile container (37778) may be used for tissue if transported to the microbiology lab immediately (add drops of sterile saline to keep small pieces of tissue moist). d. Anaerobic swab (907464) - swab specimens are suboptimal, aspirate preferred. Anaerobic flora is prevalent on mucosal surfaces of the oral cavity, upper respiratory, gastrointestinal, and genital tracts; specimens collected from these sites should not ordinarily be cultured for anaerobic bacteria. The following is a list of specimens that are likely to be contaminated with anaerobic normal flora and are NOT routinely accepted for anaerobic culture. -Throat or nasopharyngeal swabs -Gingival or other intraoral surface swabs -Expectorated sputum -Sputum obtained by nasotracheal or endotracheal suction -Bronchial washings -Voided or catheterized urine -Vaginal or cervical swabs -Gastric and small bowel contents (except for "blind loop" or bacterial overgrowth syndrome) -Feces (except for specific etiologic agents such as C. difficile and C. botulinum) -Rectal swabs -Surface swabs from ulcers and wounds (collect material from below the surface) -Material adjacent to a mucous membrane that has not been adequately decontaminated Questions regarding the proper collection of material for anaerobic cultures should be directed to the Microbiology Laboratory at 356- 2591.