Specimen Requirements

Container/Tube:  A clean, leak-proof plastic container

Specimen: 2 g (thumbnail size portion of stool) or 2 mL liquid stool.  No preservative.

Transport Temperature: Frozen

Stability: Refrigerated - 72 Hour(s)   

                 Frozen - 30 Day(s)

Patient Preparation

For initial diagnostic purposes no special patient preparation is required. Patients are not required to be off of medications or to fast before this test. While positive test results from patients taking agents such as proton pump inhibitors and antimicrobials should be considered accurate, false negative results may be obtained. For this reason, physicians may suggest the patient go off medications for two weeks and repeat test if negative results are obtained.
To confirm eradication, testing should be done at least 4 weeks following the completion of treatment. However, a positive test result 7 days post therapy is indicative of treatment failure.
This test is cleared for use with specimens from pediatric patients