Department

Biochemistry

Preferred Sample Type

Suitable Specimen Types

Plain Spot Urine
Faeces

Minimum of 1g of faeces.

Specimen Transport

Routine, but must be received within a day of being taken

Sample Processing in Laboratory

Routine on a weekly basis.

Turnaround Time

7 days

Sample Stability

Sample must be received into the laboratory within a day of it being taken, and then stored at -20C until analysis.

Reducing Substances.

General Information

Reducing substances are not normally present in urine and faeces. This test will detect the presence of reducing sugars, eg glucose, lactose, maltose, fructose and galactose. The test is normally carried out on children who fail to thrive and who could be lactose intolerant.

Notes

All samples with positive results will need to be followed up with a fresh sample which will be sent to Birmingham Children's Hospital for sugar chromatography, to identify which sugars are present.

NB: Urine reducing substances should not be used to test for classical galactosaemia since it is subject to false negative results. To exclude galactosaemia, perform a galactosaemia screen in red cells (lithium heparin) or blood spots.

If other tests are required (e.g microbiology), then a separate sample is required.

Specifications

EQA Scheme?: No
EQA Status: Sample swap scheme with BCH (monthly)