| aerobic | Any microorganism that can live and grow in the presence of oxygen or air.
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| aliquoting | Dividing or separating samples into separate containers.
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| anaerobic | Any microorganism that can live and grow in the absence of oxygen or air.
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| autoantibody | Immunoglobulin created in response to damaged antigens on the surface of one's own blood or body cells.
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| bacteremia | The presence of bacteria in the blood.
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| capillary tube | A disposable, small-diameter tube that fills by capillary action.
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| chain of custody | A special protocol that must be strictly followed and documented for specimen accountability.
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| cold agglutinin | An antibody present in certain disease conditions such as primary atypical pneumonia. These antibodies are located on the surface of the red blood cells, and at temperatures lower than normal body temperature they cause the blood cells to clump together.
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| culture media | Material added to blood collection tubes that enhances the growth of microorganisms.
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| differential | A hematology test that is a microscopic examination of a monolayer stained blood smear; indicates the percentage of different types of white blood cells, the number of both platelets and white blood cells, red blood cell size and shape, and any other blood abnormalities such as leukemia.
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| false negative | A test result that does not indicate a condition or substance that is actually present.
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| false positive | A test result that indicates a positive result that is not true.
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| hematocrit | The percentage of space taken up by red blood cells in a whole blood sample; also referred to as packed cell volume and microhematocrit.
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| microhematocrit tube | Type of capillary tube used for measuring a hematocrit, or packed cell volume.
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| normal flora | Microorganisms that typically live on and in the body, normally causing no harm to the host.
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| packed cell volume | A synonym for hematocrit.
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| pre-analytical error | Error made before, during, or after the collection of blood and before the actual analysis.
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| septicemia | Presence of pathogenic microorganisms in the blood, causing symptoms such as fever, chills, and changes in mental state.
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| waived tests | Laboratory tests approved by the FDA that are minimally complicated and pose little risk of harm to the patient.
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