CIDT reporting changes made
The reporting of enteric pathogens from culture-independent diagnostic test (CIDT) has changed. Organism specific culture tests have been created in OpenELIS (SHL LIMS) to reduce culture materials and streamline the culture process for positive CIDT cultures.
Submitters can expect to see the following results from these tests:
- “Isolated” – SHL successfully recovered the organism(s) detected by the culture-independent assay.
- “Not Isolated” – SHL was unable to recover the organism(s) detected by the culture-independent assay. A “not isolated” result does not mean the sample is negative for the organism(s) in question. Discordant results can occur for a variety of reasons including: low bacterial numbers that cannot be recovered by culture, improper transport conditions and false-positives. It is up to the submitter and physician to investigate discordant results.
- “Not Isolated, Normal Fecal Flora Suppressed” – SHL was unable to recover the organism(s) detected by the culture-independent assay and the culture did not grow the usual enteric flora.
Guidance: Specimen Submission Outline:
SHL requires cultured isolates for enteric disease surveillance and outbreak detection. If culture is available at the submitting facility, every effort should be made to recover the isolate by culture prior to sending it to SHL.
The preferred order of specimen submission continues to be:
- Cultured isolate
- Stool in Cary-Blair transport media
- Stool in GN Broth
NOTE: Timely delivery of enteric samples is essential to pathogen recovery.
