Comparison of the Accu-CulShure system and a swab placed in a B-D Port-a-Cul tube for specimen collection and transport.

We compared the Accu-CulShure guarded specimen collection device and a swab inserted into a B-D Port-a-Cul transport tube in terms of their efficacy under ideal conditions for recovery of bacteria from 10 decubitus ulcer specimens. Cultures yielded 57 aerobes and 21 anaerobes; 76 isolates were recovered with use of Accu-CulShure, and 72 isolates were recovered with use of Port-a-Cul. Both systems were comparable for recovery of organisms in terms of quantitative and qualitative results.