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Test Code CFRC Cystic Fibrosis Respiratory Culture

Important Note

If C. diphtheriae is suspected, indicate in Micro Special Request field.

Infectious

Specimen and Container/Tube

Specimen Type: Sputum, nasopharyngeal aspirate, deep pharyngeal throat swab, endotracheal aspirate, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), bronchial brush

Preferred Specimen: Sterile, sealable, screw-cap container

Other Acceptable specimens: Transport swab

Volume

Preferred Volume: 1 mL (adult and pediatric)

Specimen Stability

Storage Temperature

Stability

Room temperature

(20 - 25°C)

not acceptable

Refrigerated

(2 - 10°C)

 24 hours

Frozen

(-20°C)

not acceptable

Collection Instructions

Specimen Collection: 

 

Sputum: Rinse mouth or gargle with water to remove excess oral flora. Patient must cough deeply.

 

Tracheal aspirate: Skin is cleansed, anesthetized, and decontaminated.

 

BAL: Aspirate through inner chamber at bronchoscopy.

 

Transtracheal aspirate: Skin is cleansed, anesthetized, and decontaminated.

 

Oral/oropharyngeal: Swab areas of exudation or inflammation.

 

Bronchial brush: Place in 1 mL sterile saline.

 


Specimen Transport: Immediate

Specimen Handling and Transport Instructions

UCMC Onsite Instructions: Collect specimen per standard collection procedure and send to laboratory immediately. 

 

UCMC Offsite and UC MedLab Outreach Instructions: Collect specimen per standard collection procedure and send to laboratory immediately.

Rejection Criteria

  • Common specimen rejected situations include: incorrect specimen type, insufficient volume, incorrect collection container, missing or incomplete specimen identifiers, incorrect specimen transport, or specimens outside stability limits. 
  • Specimens collected in viral transport media will be rejected.
  • Specimens received in preservatives will be rejected.
  • Only 1 sputum sample per day will be accepted.

Reference Values

 

Test

Age

Sex

Reference Range

Culture

All

All

No Growth/Normal Flora
Stain (sputum only) All All No organisms seen

Turnaround Time

Turnaround times are relative to the time the specimen is received in the test laboratory. 

STAT Turnaround Time: not available

Routine Turnaround Time: 5 days

Testing Schedule: Monday - Sunday

Clinical Indications

  • Aid in the diagnosis of bacterial and fungal infections from organsims such as:
    • Staphylococcus aureus
    • Pseudomonas spp.
    • Stenotrophomonas spp.
    • Achromobacter spp.
    • Burkholderia spp.
    • Other non-fermenting gram-negative bacillus
    • Aerobic actinomycetes
    • Rapidly growing mycobacteria
    • Mold
    • Enterobacterales
    • H. influenzae
    • Streptococcus pneumoniae

CPT Codes

87070

LOINC Codes

30687070

Methodology

Conventional culture on media

Synonyms/Keyword Search

CX, CYCTIC FIBROSIS CX, BACTERIAL CULTURE, CULTURE

Last Review Date

01/30/2026