Preferred: 4 mL urine in a Grey Top (Min: 3 mL).

Acceptable: 3–4 mL urine in a Clear top, Sterile Container, or capped syringe w/ needle removed (Min: 1 mL).

• Urine, Clean catch
• Urine, Indwelling cath (IUC)
• Urine, Single cath
• Urine, Suprapubic cath/aspirate

• Urine, Nephrostomy
• Urine, Ileal conduit/urostomy

• Sample older than 2 hour with no evidence of refrigeration
• Sample older than 24 hours not in preservative
• Preserved specimen older than 48 hours
• 24 hour urine collection
• Foley catheter tips
• Sample from the bag of catheterized patient.
• Requests for anaerobic culture, except for suprapubic bladder aspirates
• Sample not properly identified
• Incorrect container
• Insufficient sample volume

Internal: ASAP ambient*
Offsite: Refrigerated

*Urine held at ambient temperature for >30 minutes supports the growth of both pathogens and contaminants, leading to potentially inaccurate colony counts.

Unpreserved (Sterile, no additive container):
Room Temp: 2 hours
Refrigerated: 24 hours
Frozen: Unacceptable

Preserved (Grey Top):
Room Temp: Inpatient 24 hours; Outpatient 48 hours
Refrigerated: Inpatient 24 hours; Outpatient 48 hours
Frozen: Unacceptable

Specify urine source on order or requisition. Indicate current antibiotic therapy.

• Gram stain is performed by request only.
• Identification and susceptibility tests are billed separately from culture.
• Completed cultures are held for 7 days.