| Ordering Code | 632 |
|---|---|
| Test Name | Hanging Drop |
| Alias | Wet Mount Trichomonas vaginalis Trichomonas Exam Yeast Exam |
| Preferred Specimen | Vaginal, cervical or Male Urethral Swabs |
| Preferred Container | Other |
| Optimum Volume | 2 swabs in normal saline |
| Collection Instructions | Immediately place swabs in normal saline and deliver to the laboratory within 1 hour of collection or keep warm at 35-37 degrees C. and deliver within 4 hours of collection. If applicable, use the No Additive (clear-red) tube with normal saline added. Do NOT use plastic red-top tube as these contain an additive. |
| Transport Requirements | Deliver within 1 hour if transported at room temperature, 4 hours if kept at 35-37 degrees Celsius. |
| Specimen Stability | Ambient: 1 Hour 35-37 degrees Celsius: 4 Hours |
| Rejection Criteria | Dry cotton swab, Frozen, Refrigerated, Specimen older than stability limits, Wooden shaft swab, Swabs in fluids other than normal saline, Specimen received in plastic Red Top tube with additive. |
| Avail. Stat | YES |
| Analytic Time | 1 Day |
| Methodology | Microscopic exam of specimen for yeast and viable (motile) Trichomonas organisms |
Reference range(s)
The reference ranges listed below are valid on this date of July 5, 2025.
| Component | Age | Male Norm | Male Critical Low | Male Critical High | Female Norm | Female Critical High | Female Critical Low | Units | Add'l info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanging Drop | ALL | See report. | |||||||
| Trichomonas | ALL | NONE SEEN | NONE SEEN | ||||||
| Yeast | ALL | NONE SEEN | NONE SEEN | ||||||
| Hyphae | ALL | NONE SEEN | NONE SEEN | ||||||
| Clue Cells | ALL | <=1+ | <=1+ | If infectious... Note1 |
Note1:
If infectious vaginitis is suspected, the Affirm nucleic acid probe test is the preferred method of detection..