Specimen Requirements

Submit specimens in O&P collection vials.  Fresh specimens must arrive within 2 hours if stored at Room Temp or 3 days if refrigerated to be acceptable.

Collect specimen as follows:
1. Lift toilet seat, and cover toilet bowl with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Make a depression in plastic wrap. With toilet seat lowered, pass stool specimen directly onto plastic wrap. (Rectal swab is not acceptable.)

2. Alternatively, collect stool specimen in a clean, dry, wide-mouth container. Do not use toilet paper to collect specimen. Do not remove specimen from toilet water.
3. Specimen must be submitted in an O&P collection vial. Follow instructions accompanying the vial(s) for collection procedure.
4. Label container/vial(s) with patient’s information, date and actual time of collection, and type of specimen.

5. Forward specimen promptly.

Note:  1. Maximum storage for fresh specimens is 2 hours at ambient temperature or 3 days if refrigerated. Maximum storage for specimens in an O&P vial at ambient temperature is 2 months or until the expiration date on vial(s), whichever is earlier.

2. Routinely, only 1 stool specimen per day should be collected for O&P testing. After the third hospital day, it is generally recommended that Clostridium difficile toxin testing should be performed on patients with diarrhea, not O&P testing.

3. Specimens will not be processed if transport/storage requirements are exceeded (this will be noted in the report).

4. Contamination of stool specimen with urine or barium is not acceptable.