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. 2020 May 7;46(5):112–118. doi: 10.14745/ccdr.v46i05a02

Table 1. Preferred and alternative specimen types.

Nature of illness Specimen of choice Alternative specimens
Mild/moderate influenza-like illness Nasopharyngeal swab
Video demonstration of nasopharyngeal swab collection can be accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFwSefezIHU
Deep nasal swab, throat swab or both https://vimeo.com/397169241
Severe respiratory illness Nasopharyngeal swab AND endotracheal or bronchoalveolar lavage. Sputum (if productive cough) Sputum, throat swab
Autopsy Nasopharyngeal swab AND throat swab
Lung tissue or other tissues from suspected organ involvement. Specimens should be fresh or frozen at -70°C or below. Do not put into formalin fixative
Not applicable