| Specimen and collection method | Comments |
| Normally sterile body fluids | Includes blood, pleural fluid, peritoneal fluid, bile, cerebrospinal fluid |
| Abscess contents | Needle aspirates are preferred |
| Wound* | Exudate, preferably collected by syringe aspiration using care to decontaminate the adjacent surface |
| Pulmonary | |
| Pleural fluid | Antecedent antibiotics will reduce yield |
| Transtracheal aspirate* | The only likely specimen source now is pleural fluid |
| Transthoracic needle aspirate | |
| Thoracotomy specimen | |
| Bronchoscopic aspirate* | Requires double-lumen catheter brush with distal occluding plug or bronchoalveolar lavage, each combined with quantitative culture |
| Tracheostomy aspirate* | Validity is not well established; one-third of patients without evidence of infection yield anaerobes, and quantitative cultures may be required |
| Urinary tract | |
| Suprapubic aspirate | Rare source of anaerobic infections |
| Suspect when positive Gram stain and negative culture | |
| Female genital tract | |
| Culdocentesis | Experience is varied, seldom done now |
| Specimens obtained above pelvic reflection at surgery or laparoscopy | Seldom done |
| Transabdominal needle aspirates of uterus | Seldom done |
| Intrauterine brush using double catheter with a distal occluding plug* | Requires quantitative culture; seldom done |
| Intra-abdominal | |
| Aspirates, biopsy specimens | Specimen must be devoid of gastrointestinal flora |
| Small bowel aspirate | Quantitative culture is necessary to detect bacterial overgrowth syndromes |
| Oral-dental | |
| Aspirate of closed spaces | Collected from endodontal canal and preferably transported in conditions that preserve hydration and anaerobiosis |
| Paper point specimen | |
| Paranasal sinuses | |
| Aspirate using catheter or syringe* | Plastic catheter inserted into depths of sinus track is preferred |
| Middle-ear aspirate | Optimal specimens are obtained with intact tympanic membrane |
| Soft tissue | |
| Aspirate of closed spaces (eg, abscesses) | |
| Biopsies using 3 mm dermal punch* | |
