Tag Archives: Flu Swabs

Flocked Swab Influenza

Flocked Swab Influenza | Comprehensive Flu Swab Test Guide

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Flu Flocked Swab Influenza

Influenza refers to the common cold, which is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by the influenza virus.

It is highly contagious and mainly spreads through droplets, such as coughing and sneezing. Influenza generally occurs in winter and spring.

The current influenza detection method is the rapid influenza antigen detection method, which detects “flux A” and “flu B” antigens.

Laboratory staff collect samples through throat swabs.

In fact, in inspection work, it is important to know the quality of the specimen in order to obtain accurate and reliable results.

Throat swab specimens: Professionals can avoid many false-negative influenza tests caused by improper specimen sampling.

The precautions for flu throat swabs are basically the same as those for nucleic acid detection throat swabs. Because the same part is sampled.

There are two types of flu throat swabs: nasopharyngeal swabs and oropharyngeal swabs.

What precautions should I take when taking a throat swab test for flu?

1. Oropharyngeal swab The collection method of the oropharyngeal swab is to let the subject open his mouth, then use a long pharyngeal swab to wipe the patient’s pharynx, bilateral frontal arches and tonsils, and take out the local secretions. Into the catheter of the throat swab and sent to the laboratory for testing.

2. Nasopharyngeal swabs The collection method of nasopharyngeal swabs is to use sterilized throat swabs to penetrate deep into the nasal cavity of the subject and reach the nasopharynx, and extract secretions and nasopharynx by rotating or wiping.

Epithelial cells put a section with secretions and epithelial cells into a sterile container and then carry out pathogenic detection.

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Flu swab material

Swab options for flu testing include flocked swabs, cotton-tipped swabs, rayon tipped swabs, and foam-tipped swabs.

Cotton tip swab:

The original swab tips were all cotton, mainly based on their cleaning power and water absorption. Cotton swabs are very inexpensive and readily available, and are widely used in medical wound management after sterilization with ethylene oxide or autoclaving, as well as in forensic crime scene forensics. In the absence of alternatives, cotton swabs can be used in almost a variety of scenarios.

However, cotton-tipped swabs also have some problems. Due to the low release rate of cotton, natural material for samples, and some of the natural fatty acids in it can damage microorganisms, they are less and less used for sample collection.

Rayon head swab:

Rayon—a synthetic fiber made from wood pulp. Although classified as synthetic fiber, it is essentially a natural material. Compared to cotton, rayon is produced during the process of removing substances that may damage the sample or react with the sample during transportation and handling , so it is generally used for sampling for diagnostic testing.

Polyester Fiber Tip Swabs:

The head material of the polyester fiber swab is made of polyester long fiber winding, which was first introduced into the field of medical testing by DuPont. Polyester fibres are proven for microbial collection, rapid diagnostics, and PCR testing.

Polyester swabs have a high release rate but are more expensive than cotton and rayon swabs.

Foam tip swab:

China Medical Nasal Foam Swab Factory And Manufacturers

China Medical Nasal Foam Swab Factory And Manufacturers

Swabs made from medical-grade polyurethane are an excellent material for diagnostics, especially cell sampling. The swab tip of this swab is usually manufactured as a sheet with a surface hole count of 100ppi (holes per inch).

This material has good absorption of hydrophilic substances and poor absorption of hydrophobic substances. Used in some scenarios that require resistance to chemical corrosion. Also used for DNA and microbial sampling.

Flocked Swabs:

Flocking technology was first developed for cosmetic and industrial production. (Learn more)

After the flocking process was introduced into swab production. It replaced the traditional swab head, and the swab head was brought to a new level.

vtm swab

Due to the flocking process and the multi-branched polyester fibre material used, the flocked swabs have a very high absorption and release rate and are proven to be equally efficient for molecular sampling and absorption. Designated by some institutions for nucleic acid sampling as well as some research areas for genomic analysis.

The evolution of swabs is not limited to changes in materials. New demands in the fields of nursing, testing, and scientific research make swabs continue to evolve in multiple dimensions. The swab also not only acts as an applicator, but also acts as some transport medium.

Precautions include the following:

① Do not drink water before the throat swab test, at least 30 minutes in advance, because drinking water before the test will dilute the virus attached to the pharynx, especially drinking hot water will inhibit the activity of the virus.

In order to improve the accuracy of throat swab nucleic acid detection, do not drink water 15 to 30 minutes before the test to ensure that the throat swab has high accuracy.

②. For patients with good throat exposure, it is not recommended to take too long “ah~” sounds to reduce the risk of occupational exposure to the sampler.

③ To prevent vomiting, do not eat within two hours before the throat swab test.

④. Do not smoke, drink, or chew gum within half an hour before the throat swab test.

During the throat flocked swab sampling, the patient may have clinical symptoms such as nausea or nasopharyngeal discomfort, but the symptoms can subside quickly, so the patient should not be nervous and cooperate actively during the examination. At the same time, the subjects should not smoke, drink, or chew gum within half an hour before the sample collection.

If it is because of the throat swab the child, the parents must soothe the child’s emotions, communicate with the child patiently, and try not to move the child’s head as much as possible.

viral transport swab

Viral Transport Swab

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VTM Viral Transport

For Viral specimen collection, transport and preservation.  The Viral Transport Swab kit is suitable for the majority of viruses including Coronavirus, Flu, Bird Flu and HFMD.

Available in individual transport tubes in bulk or as patient collection kits paired with a swab.

Viral Transport Swab Disposable virus sample collection kit

Viral Transport Swab Disposable virus sample collection kit 

Sterile Sampling Swab Nylon Flocked Material Φ2.2x150mm (Stick), Approx. Ø3mm (Tip)
Transport Tube 10ml sample transport tube
Transport Medium  3ml per 10ml tube

 

  • Flocked swabs contain plastic stick to breakpoint flocked swabs;
  • Optional non-inactivated virus tasting tube or suspended transmission tool;
  • Ready-to-use easy-tear product packaging to avoid cross-contamination;
  • Offer biohazard sampling bags for secure transport;
  • 50 per pack;

Each viral collection kit consists of a sterilized peel bag including a snappable swab used to collect the sample, a transport tube consisting of a tool into which the swab is placed after tasting as well as a biohazard bag used to place the transport tube for transportation.

Once a swab sample is accumulated it should be placed promptly into the transport tube submitted to the lab as promptly as possible.

Although VTM can preserve organisms for long periods of time at area temperature it is advised that specimens need to be kept at 2-8 ℃ when possible while in transit. If there will be a lengthy delay before processing samplings they ought to preferably be saved at -70 ℃

 

Technical Specification

Technical Specifications

VTM Viral Transport Media is suitable for the collection, preservation and transportation of common virus samples such as COVID 19, influenza virus, hand, foot and mouth virus.

Flocked Nasopharyngeal Meaning Swab Test Sample Collection Vtm Kit

Vtm Kit tube

  • It is a liquid of a tested substance that protects against viruses. It usually uses a throat swab, nasal swab or tissue sample from a specific location to collect the sample.
  • Tube size: 2ml, 5ml, 10ml
  • Swab size: 150 mm with a breakpoint of 80 mm in the nasopharynx and 30 mm in the oropharynx.
  • liquid: 1ml, 2ml, 3ml, 5ml Shelf life: 1 year

 

Category of example conservation solution （ VTM or UTM）:

Non-inactivated: constructed in 2-3ml UTM( Global Viral Transportation tool) option, pink transparent liquid, conservation solution formula suitable for infection conservation.

Which can preserve the activity of infection in a vast temperature level variety and attempt to preserve the originality of the example.

Without lysate, it can preserve the activity and stability of the virus as well as can be utilized for virus culture as well as seclusion.

Inactivated kind: nucleic acid removal lysate boosted virus lysate preservation solution.

The suspended kind consists of a high focus of bosom salt, which can swiftly and successfully suspend the viral protein of the example to be tested.

We can spot nucleic acid by RT-PCR to judge whether the sample includes virus characteristic nucleic acid.

It consists of cleaved nucleic acid materials, so regarding spot nucleic acid by RT-PCR, so as to evaluate whether the sample consists of virus characteristic nucleic acid.

Precautions:

1. For in-vitro diagnostic usage only.

2. Usage aseptic technique and biohazard preventative measures when collecting and dealing with sampling.

3. Decontaminate all biohazard waste including samplings, containers and media after their use.

4. Delays in transportation and the absence of refrigeration might minimize recuperation of the organisms.

5. Don’t make use of after expiry date, and don’t utilize if there is proof of leak, the shade of the medium has altered shade or shows up turbid.

 

Dog DNA Tests

Dog DNA Tests_The owner is isolated and the pet needs swab test!

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A few days ago, a patient in the USA, was diagnosed with a COVID-19 infection. Due to the quarantine, no one at home is taking care of the pet dog. So she turned the dog over to the US Animal Protection Service.

The site is responsible for monitoring animal welfare and controlling animal and plant infectious diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, bird flu and other animal diseases.

The staff suddenly wondered if the dog also carried the new coronavirus-19. Therefore, the staff took swabs (secretions and feces) samples from the dog’s mouth, nose and anus for the new coronavirus nucleic acid test.

The new test results were unexpected: the oral and nasal swabs of the new coronavirus-19 were weakly positive in the swab test, and the anal swab test was negative.

However, the symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever and cough, look very lively and healthy.

The transmission of COVID-19 to pets has been the focus of discussion in the scientific community.

Currently, the Society’s Animal Residence has only tested this dog. Not sure if other animals have the same problem.

Subsequently, staff stepped up protective measures for the animal shelter and disinfected its facilities, walls and floors. Out of an abundance of caution, staff also isolate the dogs and observe them closely.

The person in charge of the animal protection station said that the dogs will be re-examined after that.

Although the pet dog had no symptoms of Covid-19 infection, the discovery of suspicious evidence of Covid-19 infection for the first time really took the world by surprise.

The swab test for COVID-19 was weakly positive, with both false positives and positives.

If the dog’s new coronary pneumonia swab test is finally positive, there are two possibilities: one possibility is that the dog is also infected with new coronary pneumonia; the other possibility is that the dog brought the virus into the mouth or Nasal, i.e. mechanical carry.

A dog’s mouth, nose and ground compared to a human. Surfaces with closer contact and smell habits are more likely to inhale some pathogens, including COVID-19 that may be present in the environment.

It is worth noting that the current medical institutions pay more attention to the diagnosis and treatment of infected patients; the CDC pays more attention to the source of the new coronavirus-19 infection and adopts various prevention and control measures. Few institutions test animals that are closely related to people, such as pet dogs, domestic cats, livestock, and even domesticated birds.

Whether these closely related animals carry the new coronavirus disease as a vector of infection or transmission; or whether dogs can be infected with the new coronavirus is unclear.

Dogs themselves can also be infected with coronaviruses, but the common coronaviruses that dogs contract cannot infect humans;

why?

The cat is being made a swab test

The cat is being made a swab test

Generally speaking, a virus needs to enter an animal or human cell in order to infect, replicate, and cause disease.

First, the virus must recognize receptors on the surface of the cell it wants to invade.

For example, SARS-CoV-2 needs to bind to a receptor called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to infect humans and cause disease, which is the equivalent of a key to a lock.

The virus then binds to a receptor expressed by the cell, the virus integrates into the cell, and infects the cell.

The ultimate determinant is its genetic material and genes (the material basis is DNA).

Obviously, the DNA of animals and humans is different, and the proteins expressed on the cell membrane are also different. Sometimes it looks the same. As long as

several amino acids are related, the profile of the protein is different and the virus cannot bind to it.

However, this is not absolute, as the virus is constantly mutating and adapting to the environment.

If the new coronary pneumonia can be directly transmitted across species, it can indicate that this virus infection is a zoonotic disease, which is obviously very bad.

A warm reminder from Dr Lee:

We found weak nucleic acid positive for New Coronavirus disease in pet dogs.

This message tells us:

1. In addition to guarding against infection by infected persons, it is also necessary to avoid close contact with active animals, including pets living together for a long time;
2. If you accidentally touch these animals, you must wash your hands afterwards;
3. Wear a mask and do a good job of protection before touching animals as a last resort;
4. During the epidemic, we suggest taking good care of pets and do not take pets for a walk outdoors.

Flu Swab Test

Flu Swab Test

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Influenza, commonly known as influenza, is an acute respiratory disease caused by influenza A, B, and C viruses, and belongs to Class C infectious diseases. Influenza is an illness that spreads relatively easily from person to person and can infect large numbers of people. While most people recover quickly from the flu, some, such as older adults, are at risk of serious illness and even death.

Flu Swab Test

Influenza viruses come in many different forms. A flu swab is a method of taking a sample from a person. Medical staff check patients for flu. If so, what kind of flu virus can be spread by inhalation through the nose and throat of an infected person.
When the flu virus infects a person, it spreads through the respiratory tract. The nose and throat are where the virus lives and grows, causing symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat and cough. These places are also the easiest places for doctors to obtain samples. As a result, doctors can often use flu swabs to determine whether a patient has the flu, which often spreads quickly in a population.
Due to public health, some government medical agencies may wish to track the spread of the disease. Since influenza viruses also mutate rapidly, new influenza viruses are produced regularly. The type of flu a person has can also be important information for the public health system.
Finally, a doctor may need to determine whether a person has the flu so an appropriate treatment plan can be instituted. There are several ways a doctor can use a swab to determine if a patient has the flu virus. An area of ​​medical professionals, usually to test for microbes. (Nasal swab for flu)

How to do Nasal Swabbing for COVID

A sampler is doing a swab test for a woman

How to Swab for the Flu?

They usually have a long swab stick with a soft swab tip at the end, made of cotton material, polyester, polyester or rayon tip, nylon flocked swabs. is sterile, so the test only analyzes the microbes in the sampled area. During the flu swab procedure, doctors usually insert the end of the swab into the patient’s nose and spin the flu swab to collect as much mucus as possible.
A doctor can take a sample by inserting a swab into the top of the throat through the nose. If the virus grows heavily in the area, the flu can cause dizziness.
Doctors have several different ways to test a cotton swab for the flu virus. The test that takes a few days to a week to complete is a viral culture, in which viral particles are grown in human cells.
Rapid tests include tests that analyze the sample for the presence of genetic material or antigens from the flu virus. An antigen is a special molecule in a virus. Some commercial tests contain antibodies, and the presence of antigens can be recognized by their linkage to the antigens.
These tests are less than an hour, but may not be as accurate as viral cultures. A runny nose and sore throat can be symptoms of the flu.

How do I know if I have the flu?

If you have a fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, cold and/or fatigue, your respiratory illness may be the flu (flu). Some people may experience vomiting and diarrhea, although this is more common in children. People can get the flu without having a fever. Influenza viruses usually cause the most illness during the colder months of the year. However, the flu can also occur outside of a typical flu season. In addition, other viruses can cause flu-like respiratory illnesses. Therefore, it is not possible to tell if you have the flu based on symptoms alone. If your doctor needs to determine if you have the flu, you can do laboratory tests.

Can I get the flu and COVID-19 at the same time?

Yes. Co-infection with influenza and other respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, is possible. Health experts are still studying how common the condition is.

The flu is similar to some of the symptoms of COVID-19, so it’s hard to tell them apart based on symptoms alone. The swab diagnostic test helps determine if you have the flu, COVID-19 or other respiratory infections.

 

What is a Nasopharyngeal Swab?

What is a Nasopharyngeal Swab?

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What is a Nasopharyngeal Swab?

COVID-19 Nucleic acid swab test  is a very effective and effective measure to prevent and control the new crown pneumonia epidemic.

The upper respiratory tract of human body includes nasal cavity, pharynx and throat.

That is to say, if people are infected with COVID-19, they can extract the nucleic acid of the virus in the nasal cavity, pharynx and larynx in 96 hours.

Therefore, we usually sample these locations in the rapid detection of new crown nucleic acids.

How to collect a nasopharyngeal swab?

Nasal swab sampling process

The first step is to collect secretions.

First, the medical staff will use a pharyngeal swab to wipe the subject’s nasal cavity or throat tonsils to collect salivary secretions.

nasal swab collection method

nasal swab collection method

The second step is to reserve samples.

After collecting the sample, immerse the nasopharyngeal swab in the preservation solution and screw on the tube cover to retain the sample.

The third step is to send samples for inspection.

Then, put the samples into clean sealed bags and send them to relevant parts for testing.

The fourth step is nucleic acid extraction.

Relevant departments will send the samples to the designated laboratory for nucleic acid extraction experiment.

Step 5: fluorescent PCR nasopharyngeal swab.

After collecting nasal samples, the experimenter uses fluorescent PCR to detect whether there is amplification reaction.

That is, to judge whether it is negative or positive.

Step 6:Finally, Receive test report.

Finally, according to the fluorescent PCR reaction results of nucleic acid detection, the nucleic acid detection vehicle inspection report is obtained, and I can query the results.

Sampling swab material

The sampling swab used for nasopharynx collection consists of a narrow rod made of a short plastic rod, one end of which is covered with an absorbent material. Such as cotton, polyester or flocked nylon.

The swab used for virus sampling should directly contact the sampling part.

The material of the sampling head is closely related to subsequent detection.

And the material requirements of virus sampling swab will be very high.

The virus sampling swab head shall be made of polyester (PE) synthetic fiber or artificial fiber.

Forbidden to use calcium alginate sponge or wooden swab (including bamboo stick).

However, calcium alginate and wood components can also absorb proteins after immersion in the preservation solution, and even inhibit the subsequent PCR reaction.

What are the advantages of using flocked sampling Nasopharyngeal swabs?

1. Flocked swabs provide better sampling.

Flocking swabs are a good choice for rapid diagnostic tests because they can better collect cells or organisms at the collection site and ensure the rapid release of the whole cell.

2. Enhanced diagnostic sensitivity.

Professional flocked technology turns each fiber into a velvet like swab, thus creating hundreds of thousands of contact points to better collect and release the collected samples.

Compared with non aggregated swabs, the increase in the number of target cells helps to improve the sensitivity of rapid diagnostic tests.

3. Rapid elution.

Their stable and reliable performance and excellent absorption and elution ability.

4. Easy handling and transportation.

sterilized and packaged separately, and the sterile swabs.

 

 

 

Nasal swab for flu

Nasal swab for flu,Rapid antigen nasal or throat swab

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Nasal swab for flu_Rapid antigen (nasal or throat swab) test

Influenza is common in winter and spring. The clinical manifestations are mainly systemic poisoning symptoms such as high fever, fatigue, headache, cough and systemic muscle pain, while the respiratory symptoms are mild.

Influenza viruses are prone to mutation, infectious, susceptible to population and high incidence rate. They have caused many outbreaks in the world, and are important public health issues worldwide.

Why should we detect and prevent influenza?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), seasonal influenza can cause 3-5 million severe cases and 290000-650000 deaths worldwide every year.

The researchers believe that children under the age of 5 are at high risk of severe influenza, but children under the age of 2 are at the highest risk, and infants under 6 months have the highest hospitalization rate and mortality.

Pregnant women, infants, the elderly, patients with chronic basic diseases and other high-risk groups have a higher risk of serious diseases and death after suffering from influenza.

Nasal swab for flu : common influenza test method

Nasopharyngeal sample collection

Nasopharyngeal sample collection

Influenza is an acute inflammation of the respiratory tract caused by the patient’s infection with influenza virus. The patient can have a series of symptoms such as cough, expectoration, fever, sore throat, stuffy nose, runny nose and general fatigue. In case of influenza, we should conduct relevant examinations in time to further clarify the diagnosis, including the following tests:

First, blood routine test, patients with influenza can promote the increase of lymphocytes. If combined with bacterial infection, there can be the increase of leukocytes and so on.

Second, scientists can culture throat swabs of influenza viruses. In throat swab culture, researchers can detect the related virus.

Third, influenza patients can do second-generation sequencing, including sputum second-generation sequencing, which can determine the type of virus infected.

Fourth, influenza patients can do the detection of respiratory pathogens to further clarify the pathogens of infection.

At present, the two most common influenza tests are rapid antigen diagnostic test  and influenza virus cell culture test. Both tests rely on Nasopharyngeal swabs, pharyngeal swabs, etc. for virus sampling. The most commonly used sampling swab is nylon flocking swab.

Nasal swab for flu:Application

It is suitable for the detection and sampling of COVID-19, influenza virus , hand foot mouth disease virus, COVID-19, measles rubella and other types of viruses.

About nasal swab sampling

Why use flocked nylon swabs?

flocked swabs_Cell medical (Dongguan) Co., Ltd.

flocked swabs_Cell medical (Dongguan) Co., Ltd.

Flocked nylon swab: excellent sample collection / release ability, release rate > 90%.

Conventional fiber swab: the sample is intercepted by the gap in the fiber mass. That is, the sample is penetrated, diluted and intercepted in the fiber.  Acquisition is slow and release is slower.

The sampling time of flocked swab is 3-5 seconds, while that of traditional swab is 15-120 seconds or even longer.

This caused pressure on the staff during the diagnosis process. Only by extracting samples faster can we complete the collection and analysis more efficiently.

Precautions for patients with nasopharyngeal swab:

① Please do not take antibiotics a few days before making nasal swabs;

② Do not use disinfectant mouthwash or smear the focus a few hours before nasal swab.

③ Do not eat, smoke or drink a few hours before doing nose swab.

Precautions for Sampler:

① . the sampler shall stand on the side of the patient for sampling.

② The patient is required to pull down the mask to expose only his nostrils. In case of sneezing reflex, the patient can cover it with elbows or paper towels.

If the sampler is not directly in front of the patient, the exposure risk will be lower.

③ If the patient’s turbinate is hypertrophic, the nasal tract is narrow, and the insertion of the nasal swab feels resistance. Try to change one side of the nasal cavity or directly change to oropharyngeal swab collection.

④ Those with nasal allergy symptoms are easy to induce sneezing. It is recommended to take oropharyngeal swab samples.

⑤ Remember to wear a protective mask / screen. For individuals who are highly suspected or basically diagnosed, or who have severe cough and hiccup, they should put on protective clothing.

⑥ After sampling, replace gloves, disinfect hands, and spray disinfectant where patients have touched.

Finally, we should pay attention to nasal swab for flu in special times. Remember to wear masks and personal hygiene when going out. Once you find the virus, please isolate it to avoid re transmission.

 

How to use CM oral swab

How to use CM oral swab

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How to use CM oral swab
Cell medical (Dongguan) Co, Ltd.
Oral sampling display picture

Oral sampling display picture

Use steps

1. Tear off the sealing paper on the packaging bag of the oral swab, and suck the inhaled contaminated swab from the swab. Note that the swab head is in contact with other items other than the oral wall and cannot be sucked.

2. Hold the oral swab to stretch out the oral wall, rotate the oral mucosa for 10-15 times, and then up and down 5-10 times, rub it moderately, and it is advisable to put the oral cavity close to the inner mucosa to ensure that the sampling tip sucks the wall everywhere Exfoliated cells from the oral mucosa; follow the same method and collect them on the other side of the oral cavity.

3. After the collection, the oral swab is taken out of the oral test tube, and the sample is natively sampled. The sampling handle with the broken mark is broken, the sampling sampling tube cover tube, and the final extraction is attached to the link between the sampling test tube cover and the tube cover. Dry it in time and send it for inspection.

Matters needing attention

1. Do not touch the sampling head with your hands or other objects.

2. Do not smoke, drink, or eat 30 minutes before sampling.

3. The oral swab is a disposable product and should not be used twice.

4. Do not use if the package is damaged.

Product features

1. Adopt internationally accepted paper-plastic packaging which is convenient for sterilization.

2. Gamma ray sterilization to ensure sterility.

3. Each set in the large packing box is individually packaged for easy use.

4. Different preservation solutions are selected for different types of specimens.

Advantage

1. The unique spray-type implanting nylon fiber technology increases the collection and release of specimens.

2. The swab has a total length of 14.5cm, and the plastic rod has a unique breakable design.

3. The fluffy texture can collect more target analytes.

4. There is no residual amount of specimens, which speeds up the processing of specimens.

5. The swab is sterilized and individually packaged.

CM Nylon Flocking Swabs have undergone a large number of clinical experiments to show that, compared with ordinary sterile cotton swabs, CM Nylon Flocking Swabs have a better effect on the collection and transportation of clinical microbial specimens. This is especially true for those specimens that cannot be submitted for inspection in time and have been placed for too long.