Sign in →

Test Code EARC Ear Culture & Stain

Important Note

For internal ear sites: If eardrum is intact, physician should perform collection by tympanocentesis.

Infectious

Specimen and Container/Tube

Specimen Type: External ear swab, inner ear fluid or aspirate

Preferred Specimen: Transport swab, or sterile, sealable, screw-cap container

Other Acceptable specimens: Anaerobe transport, rubber-capped syringe

Specimen Stability

Storage Temperature

Stability

Room temperature

(20 - 25°C)

Swab: 48 hours

Fluid: 24 hours

Refrigerated

(2 - 10°C)

 not acceptable

Frozen

(-20°C)

not acceptable

Collection Instructions

Specimen Collection: 

 

Internal: If eardrum is intact, physician should perform collection by tympanocentesis. Cleanse external canal with mild detergent and collect fluid from beyond eardrum.

 

External: Use moistened swab to remove debris or crust from the ear canal. Firmly rotate swab in outer canal.

 


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. 

Reference Values

 

Test

Age

Sex

Reference Range

Culture

All

All

No Growth/Normal Flora
Stain 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: Stain only - 1 hour

Routine Turnaround Time: 72 hours

Testing Schedule: Monday - Sunday

Clinical Indications

  • Aid in the diagnosis of bacterial infections.

CPT Codes

87070, 87205

LOINC Codes

30487070, 30687205

Methodology

Conventional culture on media

Synonyms/Keyword Search

CX, CX/ST, BACTERIAL CULTURE, EAR, CULTURE

Last Review Date

02/06/2026