Specimen Collection Instructions

1. Ask patient to tilt his/her head back. Insert dry swabs approximately 1-2 cm into each nostril.

2. Rotate the swabs against the inside of the nostril for 3 seconds. Apply slight pressure with a finger on the outside of the nose to help assure good contact between the swab and the inside of the nose.

3. Using the same culturette, repeat for the second nostril, trying not to touch anything but the inside of the nose.

4. Label the culturette tube with patient name, date of birth, source and collector initials, date and time and send to the laboratory. Specimens will be rejected if source is not recorded on swab.