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Fungal Blood Culture (088-0013)
Test Mnemonic:

C MAF (AFB & Fungi), F MBLD (Fungus only)

Specimen Requirements:
Test Included:

C MAF (AFB & Fungi), F MBLD (Fungus only)

Collection:

Do not touch phlebotomy site after cleansing to prevent false positive culture growth. Use a syringe or butterfly to collect 3-5 ml of blood.  Inject blood into the alcohol-cleaned blood culture vial

Container:

Bactec Bottle - Myco/F lytic (red cap

Minimum Volume:

1 ml

Storage/Transport:

Room temperature. Do not refrigerate

Specimen Preparation:

Inject an alcohol-cleaned culture bottle/vial.

Stability:

48 hours

Causes for Rejection:

Refrigerated bottles, submission of vials other than Bactec bottles, more than 2 cultures in 5 days.

Reference Range:

No growth

Turnaround Time:

6 weeks

Methodology:

Bactec FX - continuous monitoring instrument, then culture

Performed:

Clinical Microbiology

Synonyms:

Blood Culture, Fungus; Fungus Blood Culture; Blood Culture, Mold

Clinical Indication:

 Suspected bloodstream infection with yeast or fungus

Patient Preparation :

Cleanse venipuncture site. Use Bactec Bottle - Myco/F lytic (red cap; remove cap and cleanse with alcohol

CPT 4 Code:

87103, additional codes if indicated

Note:

Positive culture results are considered a critical value and notification will be performed upon recognition of the positive result.

Order C MAF if requesting cultures for both mycobacteria and fungus and F MBLD is only for fungus.

Collect specimens using aseptic technique since contamination may lead to false positive results. Due to recovery, it is not recommended to collect more than two blood culture fungal vials within five days. The Aerobic blood culture vials recover yeast.

DO NOT COVER THE BOTTLE BAR CODE LABEL

When ordering tests for which Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement will be sought, physicians should only order tests that are medically necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of the patient. Components of the organ or disease panels may be ordered individually. The diagnostic information must substantiate all tests ordered and must be in the form of an ICD-10 code or its verbal equivalent.
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