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What is the collective noun for microbiological cultures from different sites (blood, urine, feces etc.)? For example:

"Data on ___________ [cultures from different sites (blood, urine etc.)] were collected from the department of clinical microbiology."

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  • 3
    An unpalatability of cultures?
    – MikeRoger
    Jun 26 '17 at 13:30
  • Your example sentence is wrong, unless you mean that the data were collected from the department. Further, no quotes around "cultures".
    – Carl Witthoft
    Jun 26 '17 at 14:18
  • This is going to be difficult, as the word "culture" itself is a collective noun describing what's usually a large group of whatever it is you're going to analyze.
    – Carl Witthoft
    Jun 26 '17 at 14:20
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You are most likely talking of specimens.

"Data on specimens was collected from the department of clinical microbiology."

M-W:

specimen noun
1 b : a portion or quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study : a urine specimen

ODO:

specimen NOUN
1.2 A sample for medical testing, especially of urine.

‘Specimens of blood or urine are the alternatives…’

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  • This is great. Other than specimen, I can only think of "test samples" but that is a less precise term.
    – PV22
    Jun 26 '17 at 16:02
  • Good word, but it's not a collective noun. (Tho' the OP probably doesn't care)
    – Carl Witthoft
    Jun 26 '17 at 19:25
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‘Panel’ is the collective noun that physicians themselves often use. (You seem to be asking for the term of venery rather than a generic collective noun.) A panel of specimens from a single patient, might include different fluids and tissue types.

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