title: Technical note: Discard the specimen collection swab directly at point of care to improve extensive automated processing in clinical microbiology laboratories.
abstract: We compared, in terms of microorganisms recovery, the discard of specimen collection swab, after swirling into its medium, directly at point of care, with its placing into the medium and vortexing on arrival in the laboratory. Our results show that these two procedures are overlapped in terms of bacterial recovery.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology and Virology Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, S. Maria degli Angeli Regional Hospital, Pordenone, Italy. Electronic address: manuela.avolio@aas5.sanita.fvg.it.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Avolio
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology and Virology Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, S. Maria degli Angeli Regional Hospital, Pordenone, Italy.
authors.forename: Shamanta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grosso
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology and Virology Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, S. Maria degli Angeli Regional Hospital, Pordenone, Italy.
authors.forename: Graziano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bruschetta
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology and Virology Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, S. Maria degli Angeli Regional Hospital, Pordenone, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Camporese
mesh_terms: D057205:Automation, Laboratory / Q000592:standards; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories / Q000592:standards; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Liquid based microbiology