Chapter 8: handling and transportation of samples for testing
Updated 21 May 2024
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Standard clinical procedures must exist to minimise the potential for contamination of blood and tissue samples for microbiological testing during the collection of the sample. Appropriate processes allowing for the monitoring and review of these standard procedures should be in place.
The sample should be transported to the laboratory as soon as possible and marked urgent, preferably with prior notice given to laboratory staff. Prolonged transportation or storage should be at 4°C, but not frozen.
Blood samples taken for specific purposes of discretionary testing (such as malaria and Chagas) are handled according to separate instructions, since whole blood is required for testing at a central reference laboratory.
For nucleic acid testing (NAT), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) anti-coagulated whole blood is the sample type of choice.