Carbapenem Resistant Organism (CRO) Testing

Culture, Isolate Identification (Reference Culture)
DataValue
Methods Culture, mCIM (phenotypic test for carbapenamase production), PCR (for resistance mechanism detection)
CPT Code N/A
Test Scope Identification of isolate (genus, species), detection of carbapenamase by phenotypic and genotypic methods
Preferred Specimen

Pure Culture on appropriate media;

Only isolates who have been preliminarily identified as one of the following species will

be accepted:

E. coli, K. pneumoniae, Enterobacter sp., Citrobacter sp., P. aeruginosa, A. baumanii

Note:  Morganella sp. and Proteus sp. will be accepted if found resistant to a carbapenem other than imipenem
Other Acceptable Specimens None
Specimen Identification Label reference culture patient’s first and last name, DOB and date/time of collection.
Special Instructions Indicate specific specimen site on requisition slip.
Shipping Requirements Store and ship as appropriate.
Transport to lab as soon as possible in appropriate shipping container.
Sample Rejection Criteria
  • Inadequate culture growth
  • Mixed culture
  • Mislabeled specimen
  • Unlabeled specimen
Turn-around-time 48 hours-1 week