A clean voided urine from a 27-year-old female was collected at 9:00 am and processed for a routine urinalysis. The specimen demonstrated a positive leukocyte esterase, marked protein, positive nitrite, and 2+ blood. Upon finishing the morning run of urinalysis specimens, the technologist left the specimens at the bench and returned to the chemistry department. Seeing the urinalysis results, the physician calls at 12:00 pm to add a urine
Culture to the patient's orders. At 1:00 pm the urine specimen is sent to Microbiology for processing and should be

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Given the time elapsed from collection (9:00 am) to when the specimen was sent to Microbiology (1:00 pm), the specimen is not fresh. For accurate urine culture results, specimens should be processed within 2 hours of collection or stored appropriately if delayed. This specimen's delay compromises its integrity for culture, leading to potential overgrowth of contaminants or loss of viability of the pathogens present. Therefore, it should be rejected, and a new, fresh specimen should be requested.

A Clean Voided Urine from a 27-Year-Old Female Was Collected