You are working in a microbiology laboratory and receive a sputum for culture. You perform a Gram stain on the sputum and get the following results: 3+ gram-positive cocci, greater than 25 epithelial cells/10$\times$ field, less than 10 neutrophils/10$\times$ field, and heavy mucus. What do these results indicate?
A) An acceptable specimen that should be worked up with definitive identification for all bacteria present
B) An unacceptable specimen and workup that should be limited to basic identification of bacteria
C) An unacceptable specimen that should be worked up with definitive identification for all bacteria present
D) An acceptable specimen and workup that should be limited to the basic identification of bacteria

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The presence of greater than 25 epithelial cells per low power field indicates contamination with oral flora and is considered an unacceptable specimen for culture. The recommendation is to limit workup to basic identification of bacteria, if any, to avoid unnecessary work on likely contaminants.

You Are Working in a Microbiology Laboratory and Receive a Sputum