Specimen Requirements

Specimens shall be examined within 1 hour of collection, ideally within 20 minues. Trichomonads become difficult to discern once their motility is lost.

1. Female Specimen Collection:
   • Specimen should be collected from the vaginal wall, cervix, or endocervix.
   • Topical anesthetics or lubricant jelly should not be used
2. Male Specimen Collection:
   • 1 or 2 drops of sedimented first void male urine, urethral discharge, or prostatic fluid.
   • Male urethral swab. Insert swab 2-5 cm into the male urethral lumen and rotate; leave in place for at least 2 seconds. 
3. Specimen Handling: 
   • Place inoculated swab immediately into a small tube of 0.85% saline and mix. The excess swab may either be snapped off or bent into the vial to faciliate lid closure.
   • Fluid specimens should be placed into a sterile container.
   • Specimen containers should be labeled with the patient's name, date and time of collection, and type of specimen.
   • Do not refrigerate