Labile bacteria include:
(1) Shigella sonnei
(2) Neisseria gonorrhoeae (sensitive to refrigeration and drying and atmosphere)
(3) Neisseria meningitidis (sensitive to refrigeration)
(4) Hemophilus influenzae (sensitive to refrigeration)
(5) Bordetella pertussis (requires fresh media)
(6) anaerobic bacteria (if exposed to an oxygen-rich environment for a period of time)
Labile parasites include:
(1) trophozoites of intestinal protozoa
(2) free living amoebae (sensitive to refrigeration and drying)
Handling:
(1) Make sure that a suitable and adequate sample has been collected.
(2) Specimens for bacterial culture of a labile organism should be directly inoculated onto a suitable media and placed immediately into an environment with proper temperature and suitable atmosphere.
(3) If the specimen cannot be directly innoculated, then deliver immediately to the laboratory on a suitable transport media. Do not refrigerate specimens.
(4) Place a specimen for ova and parasites into a suitable fixative to preserve vegetative forms.
(5) If there is reason to suspect a false negative result from improper handling, consider PCR.
