Have patient rinse his/her mouth with water immediately prior to specimen collection. This reduces the number of contaminating oropharyngeal bacteria

Common bacterial agents of acute pneumonia include: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and members of the Enterobacteriaceae. Clinical history, physical examination, and chest X-ray are usually adequate for the diagnosis of pneumonia, and antimicrobial treatment is typically based on these findings.
 

Culture of expectorated sputum is used by some for the evaluation of pneumonia, although controversy exists regarding this practice; both sensitivity and specificity of sputum cultures are generally regarded as poor (<50%). Specificity is improved by collecting expectorated purulent matter from the lower respiratory tract and avoiding mouth and oropharyngeal matter, thereby reducing contamination. Prior to culture, the specimen should be examined for the presence of WBCs (evidence of purulent matter) and a paucity of squamous cells (evidence of minimal contamination by oral matter).

Isolate and identify potentially aerobic pathogenic organisms. Some bacterial agents that cause lower respiratory infections (eg, Mycobacteria, Legionella species, Mycoplasma pneumoniae) are not detected by this assay