A Gram stain is a test that checks for bacteria at the site of a suspected infection such as the throat, lungs, genitals, or in skin wounds. Gram stains may also be used to check for bacteria in certain body fluids, such as blood or urine.

SPECIMEN: Submit specimens in a sterile screw capped container OR smeared onto 2 sterile glass slides in a slide mailer. Ship refrigerated.

STABILITY: Room: 2 hrs; Refrigerated: 72 hrs; Frozen: NA

REPORT: Same Day

PRE-TEST INFORMATION: No special preparation required.

USAGE: Gram stain can be a reliable indicator to guide initial antibiotic therapy in diverse bacterial infections. Positive Gram stain report indicates type of microorganism & their morphology based on the type of cells seen. It is also used to screen sputum specimens to establish acceptability for bacterial culture (<25 squamous epithelial cells per field is considered an acceptable specimen for culture) and may reveal the causative organism in bacterial pneumonia.