Sampling & Diagnostics

Sampling & Diagnostics covers a specimen's journey from collection to analysis. It includes sample cups and tubes for urine, stool and blood, swabs with and without transport medium, and microscope slides and cover glasses. The category is aimed at GP surgeries, hospitals, care homes, laboratories and research institutions.

Most collection items are polypropylene; the EDTA tube is PET. The 60 ml sample cup, the stool sample tube, the EDTA tube and all three swabs are specified as sterile. The 120 ml sample cup, slides and cover glasses carry no sterility claim and are supplied in cartons or boxes of 50 to 250 pieces.

Typical applications

• Urine and fluid specimens in general practice, hospitals and care settings
• Hygienic stool sampling with a spoon built into the screw cap
• Blood collection for haematology with EDTA tubes
• Microbiological swabbing and sampling for PCR and rapid tests
• Microscope preparations in histology and cytology

What to look for when buying

Choose the container according to specimen type and how it reaches the lab. If a swab has to be shipped, the swab with Amies transport medium is the one to use; for PCR and rapid tests the flocked nylon swab releases the sample readily; for routine microbiological sampling the viscose swab is sufficient. The 3 ml EDTA tube is compatible with vacuum systems and CE-marked.

In microscopy, labelling decides: slides with a 20 mm frosted end can be marked with pencil or diamond pen, while the ground-edge slide offers ground edges for safe handling. Cover glasses come in 18 × 18 and 24 × 24 mm. Which collection systems are accepted is set by the receiving laboratory, so check with them if in doubt.

Frequently asked questions