Table 5. Selected sample transport media for HPV testing.
| Category | Compatible methods/analytes | Formulations* | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid cytology | Cytology Conditionally: HPV DNA, HPV RNA, HPV oncoprotein |
Preservative buffers containing methanol; sample conversion into molecular-friendly testing buffer frequently required | PreservCyt (Hologic) |
| Cell collection medium (Roche) | |||
| Preservative buffer containing formalin that crosslinks DNA-protein, which can be undone by boiling | SurePath (BD) | ||
| Liquid molecular | HPV DNA and/or RNA | Lysis buffer containing guanidine thiocyanate for DNA preservation | Cervi-Collect Kit (Abbott) |
| Trueprep AUTO Transport Medium (Molbio) | |||
| Lysis buffer containing lauryl sulfate lithium salt for RNA preservation | Specimen Transport Media (Hologic) | ||
| Lysis buffer containing Tris/Sodium Chloride with surfactant for lysis and a DNA preservative | HPV diluent co-collection media (BD) | ||
| Lysis buffer containing guanidine hydrochloride for DNA preservation | cobas PCR Cell Collection Media (Roche) | ||
| digene Specimen Transport Medium (Qiagen) | |||
| careHPV Collection Media | |||
| Dry | HPV DNA | Swab is collected and placed into a sterile tube in the absence of media | Dry swab |
| Cards treated with lysis solution and color-changing dye to indicate sample is applied (e.g., PK 226 contains ionic detergent for lysis) | Solid transport cards, e.g. PK 226 Paper (PerkinElmer) | ||
| Other buffers | Dependent on buffer | Buffered media generally used for viral preservation, compatible with nucleic acid amplification testing | Universal Transport Media (U, Copan) |
| Some tests indicate compatibility with suspended cervical cells without specifying suspension buffer[8] | Generic/unspecified |
* Adapted from manufacturer reports (S1 Table).