ASCP CG TRAINING STUDY SHEET 2026
UPDATED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
◉When do you not rinse solid tissues with antibiotics? Answer:
When it has been indicated that the specimen was transported with
a cidal concentration of antibiotic.
◉What type of media do amniotic fluid cultures grow best in?
Answer: Amnio-max.
◉What is peripheral blood composed of? Answer: Plasma, WBCs,
and RBCs.
◉What is the purpose of sodium heparin, lithuim heparin and EDTA
in sample transport? Answer: Anticoagulant.
◉Why is NaHep preferred over other anticoagulants? Answer: It is
generally non-toxic to lymphocytes.
◉What are the two classes of lymphocytes? Answer: T-cells and B-
cells.
,◉What mitogens do T-cells respond to? Answer: PHA and
Concanavalin A.
◉What mitogens do B-cells respond to? Answer: LPS, Epstein-Barr
Virus, and TPA.
◉Which mitogen stimulates both T and B cells? Answer: Pokeweed.
◉What group of mitogens is used to stimulate cells with a
constitutional abnormality? Answer: T-cell mitogens.
◉How do we stimulate the growth of neoplastic cells or B-cells
neoplasms? Answer: Run one unstimulated culture and one with a
B-cell mitogen.
◉How are percutaneous umbilical blood samples (PUBS) retrieved?
Answer: Transabdominally with the assistance of ultrasonography.
◉What is the turnaround time for an amniocentesis culture?
Answer: 7-14 days.
◉What is the turnaround time for a fetal blood culture? Answer: 2-3
days.
,◉What is the earliest a PUB can be performed? Answer: 18 weeks.
◉When was amniocentesis first reported? Answer: 1880s
◉What did Steele and Breg do in 1966? Answer: They used
amniocentesis for cytogenetic analysis.
◉What is the risk for maternal cell contamination? Answer: 0.3%
risk.
◉What is maternal cell contamination mostly attributed to?
Answer: Failure to discard the 2 cc of amniotic fluid and generally
bloody samples.
◉What is the ideal gestational age for a specimen tap? Answer: 16-
20 weeks.
◉Why are early and late specimen taps not ideal for culture?
Answer: The cultures will be slow growing.
◉What do we do with the remaining amniotic fluid that is not used
for culturing cells? Answer: We send it to another department for
AFP testing.
, ◉Which takes longer to grow in a culture: solid tissue or bone
marrow? Answer: Solid tissue.
◉What is the most common issue with solid tissue culture? Answer:
Microbial contamination?
◉What did Hahnemann and Mohr develop in 1968? Answer:
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS).
◉How are CVS samples retrieved? Answer: Transcervically and
transabdominally.
◉How do we reduce cellular contamination of a chorionic villus
sample? Answer: By removing the adherent maternal decidua.
◉Describe the physical differences between villi and decidua.
Answer: The villi will be branched in appearance and lighter as
compared to the decidua, which will be more sheet-like and darker.
◉What is the prerequisite for using solid tissues in cytogenetic
study? Answer: That the cells have the ability to divide.
◉Why do we remove necrotic tissue and normal parenchyma from
the tissue before setting a culture? Answer: Necrotic tissue
UPDATED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
◉When do you not rinse solid tissues with antibiotics? Answer:
When it has been indicated that the specimen was transported with
a cidal concentration of antibiotic.
◉What type of media do amniotic fluid cultures grow best in?
Answer: Amnio-max.
◉What is peripheral blood composed of? Answer: Plasma, WBCs,
and RBCs.
◉What is the purpose of sodium heparin, lithuim heparin and EDTA
in sample transport? Answer: Anticoagulant.
◉Why is NaHep preferred over other anticoagulants? Answer: It is
generally non-toxic to lymphocytes.
◉What are the two classes of lymphocytes? Answer: T-cells and B-
cells.
,◉What mitogens do T-cells respond to? Answer: PHA and
Concanavalin A.
◉What mitogens do B-cells respond to? Answer: LPS, Epstein-Barr
Virus, and TPA.
◉Which mitogen stimulates both T and B cells? Answer: Pokeweed.
◉What group of mitogens is used to stimulate cells with a
constitutional abnormality? Answer: T-cell mitogens.
◉How do we stimulate the growth of neoplastic cells or B-cells
neoplasms? Answer: Run one unstimulated culture and one with a
B-cell mitogen.
◉How are percutaneous umbilical blood samples (PUBS) retrieved?
Answer: Transabdominally with the assistance of ultrasonography.
◉What is the turnaround time for an amniocentesis culture?
Answer: 7-14 days.
◉What is the turnaround time for a fetal blood culture? Answer: 2-3
days.
,◉What is the earliest a PUB can be performed? Answer: 18 weeks.
◉When was amniocentesis first reported? Answer: 1880s
◉What did Steele and Breg do in 1966? Answer: They used
amniocentesis for cytogenetic analysis.
◉What is the risk for maternal cell contamination? Answer: 0.3%
risk.
◉What is maternal cell contamination mostly attributed to?
Answer: Failure to discard the 2 cc of amniotic fluid and generally
bloody samples.
◉What is the ideal gestational age for a specimen tap? Answer: 16-
20 weeks.
◉Why are early and late specimen taps not ideal for culture?
Answer: The cultures will be slow growing.
◉What do we do with the remaining amniotic fluid that is not used
for culturing cells? Answer: We send it to another department for
AFP testing.
, ◉Which takes longer to grow in a culture: solid tissue or bone
marrow? Answer: Solid tissue.
◉What is the most common issue with solid tissue culture? Answer:
Microbial contamination?
◉What did Hahnemann and Mohr develop in 1968? Answer:
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS).
◉How are CVS samples retrieved? Answer: Transcervically and
transabdominally.
◉How do we reduce cellular contamination of a chorionic villus
sample? Answer: By removing the adherent maternal decidua.
◉Describe the physical differences between villi and decidua.
Answer: The villi will be branched in appearance and lighter as
compared to the decidua, which will be more sheet-like and darker.
◉What is the prerequisite for using solid tissues in cytogenetic
study? Answer: That the cells have the ability to divide.
◉Why do we remove necrotic tissue and normal parenchyma from
the tissue before setting a culture? Answer: Necrotic tissue
