Section 95 Microbial Contamination

• Library: DWI Experts and the Science of Chemical Tests 2014

An unqualified blood drawer, a nonsterile needle or tube, improper techniques, lack of a preservative, lack of an anticoagulant, or improper or delayed refrigeration can cause contamination in the blood-sample tube. MoDHSS regulations that took effect December 30, 2012, have made it mandatory that both a preservative and an anticoagulant are present in the tubes before the blood draw.

Proteus vulgaris and A streptococci produce relatively little ethanol in the subject’s blood sample, and this production is usually eliminated or reduced to undetectable levels by a well-distributed fluoride-containing microbial growth inhibitor. Candida albicans produces a much...