Fungal stain Other samples

Vaginal swab/ Vaginal discharge: 1. Collect vaginal discharge on a sterile cotton swab and place in into Amies transport medium with aseptic precautions. 2. Make vaginal discharge smears on clean glass slide for Gram staining. Throat swab : Swab should be collected by a medical officer or by a experienced technician. Use a cotton or Dacron swab. Use a tongue blade and an adequate light source to ensure proper visualization. Examine the inside of mouth. Look for inflammation, exudates, pus or presence of any membrane. Depress the tongue. Swab the inflamed area of the throat, pharynx or tonsils with a sterile swab taking care to collect the pus or piece of membrane. Take care not to touch the buccal mucosa or tongue (prevent contamination with saliva). Transport in sterile transport tube at ambient temperature. Semen: Sexual abstinence is required for atleast 3days and not more than 7 days. Instruct the patient to pass urine before specimen collection. The patient is advised to wash hands and penis with soap and water .Dry thoroughly before collecting the specimen. In a sterile container semen is to be collected by masturbation. Lubricants, condoms should not be used for specimen collection. If transported, to be transported at the earliest at ambient temperature. Do not expose to extremes of temperature. Semen should be accepted only for walk-in patients within half–hour of collection.