Lactoferrin
(Specimen Container)
Plastic screw-cap container
(Transport Temperature)
| Temperature | Period |
|---|---|
| Room temperature | Unacceptable |
| Refrigerated | 14 days |
| Frozen | 21 days |
Specimen received in transport media
Collect undiluted feces in clean, dry, sterile leak-proof container. Do not add fixative or preservative. Patients may collect stool and hold at room temperature until it can be properly frozen. The time held at room temperature must not exceed 48 hours from time of collection. Specimens can be delivered to patient service center (PSC) or physician’s office for freezing and delivery to the laboratory. Once specimen has been frozen, do not thaw. Transport Frozen.
Lactoferrin is a marker for fecal leukocytes and a positive result is an indicator of intestinal inflammation. This elevation may be caused by acute infectious colitis or active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The test may not be appropriate in immunocompromised persons. In addition, this test is not FDA cleared for patients with a history of HIV and/or hepatitis B and C, patients with a history of infectious diarrhea (within 6 months), and patients having had a colostomy and/or ileostomy within 1 month.
Not Detected
