Urinalysis and Body Fluids 6th Edition by Majorie DiLorenzo, Susan Strasinger

Exercise 57

Before performing a Gram stain on CSF, the specimen must be:

A. Filtered

B. Warmed to 37?C

C. Centrifuged

D. Mixed

Step 1 of 2

Gram stain on CSF (cerebrospinal fluid):

Gram stain test is performed on CSF to detect fungal and bacterial pathogens but widely performed to detect meningitis.

• The CSF is centrifuged for 15 minutes at 1500 rpm (rotations per minute)

• The obtained sediment is used to prepare cultures and slides

• Cytocentrifuge affords concentrated specimen for Gram stain

Therefore, prior to perform gram stain on CSF, “centrifugation” of specimen is done. Hence, the correct answer is option.