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Specimen Receiving
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Phone: 512-776-7598

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Actinomycete, High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Laboratory Fee Schedule
Procedure: MCD0276A
CPT: 87143


Synonym(s):	Actino, Nocardia, Actinomadura
Requisition Form	G-MYCO
Test Description	Test for the identification of aerobic Actinomycete isolates, not Mycobacterium, referred to DSHS Laboratory
Pre-Approval Needed	N/A
Supplemental Information Required	N/A
Supplemental Form(s)	N/A
Performed on Specimens from (sources)	Pure isolate from human sources
Sample/Specimen Type for Testing	Aerobic Actinomycete pure isolate in liquid or on solid culture medium
Minimum Volume/Size Required	Liquid culture: 2.0 mL Solid culture: Single mature colony
Storage/Preservation Prior to Shipping	Ambient
Transport Medium	N/A
Specimen Labeling	At least two patient identifiers required on specimen (e.g., patient full name, date of birth, medical record number). Three patient identifiers are preferred. Patient identifiers on specimen label must exactly match identifiers on submission form. (e.g., abbreviated name on label and full name on form is not acceptable.) Additional DSHS Laboratory specimen labeling guidelines available online here.
Shipping and Specimen Handling Requirements	• Ship at ambient temperatures. • Ship according to Dangerous Goods Regulations, IATA, and/or CFR 49 • Ship according to Dangerous Goods Regulations, IATA, and/or CFR 49. • Category B Biological Substance, UN3373 shipping requirements apply to unidentified isolates. • Submitters are responsible for packaging and shipping specimens according to regulatory requirements. • Additional DSHS Laboratory specimen shipping guidelines online here. • Ship specimens overnight Monday–Thursday to avoid weekend deliveries. • Do not ship specimens for holiday or weekend delivery. • Ensure media used to isolate specimens is not expired. • Additional DSHS Laboratory specimen shipping guidelines online here.
Method	High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
Turn-around Time	HPLC is one test in a battery of tests that take 3 to 4 weeks for full identification.
Interferences/Limitations	HPLC may only detect the predominant organism in a mixed culture. HPLC cannot definitively identify an aerobic Actinomycete. Additional testing methods are needed provide definitive identification.
Common Causes for Rejection	Cultures overgrown by contaminating organisms. Cultures broken in transit. Missing identifiers on specimen or submission form. Mismatch between specimen and/or submission form identifiers.
Additional Information	Within one week of isolate receipt, and based on the HPLC analysis, the absence or presence of cell wall mycolic acids can be determined and/or a presumptive identification made based on mycolic acid pattern similarity to a given genus.