Body fluid is the term most often used in medical and health contexts. Modern [[medicine|medical]], [[public health]], and personal [[hygiene]] practices treat body fluids as potentially unclean. This is because they can be [[Vector (epidemiology)|vector]]s for infectious diseases, such as [[Sexually transmitted infection|sexually transmitted disease]]s or [[blood-borne disease]]s. [[Universal precautions]] and [[safer sex]] practices try to avoid exchanges of body fluids. Body fluids can be analyzed in [[medical laboratory]] in order to find microbes, inflammation, cancers, etc.{{cn|date=November 2022}}
===Clinical samples===
Clinical samples are generally defined as non-infectious human or animal materials including [[blood]], [[saliva]], [[excreta]], [[body tissue]] and [[tissue fluid]]s, and also [[pharmaceuticals|FDA-approved pharmaceuticals]] that are [[blood products]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140810042829/http://www.fedex.com/us/packaging/guides/Clinical_fxcom.pdf Packaging Guidelines for Clinical Samples] - Retrieved 7 August 2014.</ref> In medical contexts, it is a specimen taken for [[Medical diagnosis|diagnostic examination]] or evaluation, and for identification of [[disease]] or condition.<ref>[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/specimen specimen] - The Free Dictionary. Retrieved 7 August 2014</ref>
===Sampling===
Methods of [[sampling (medicine)|sampling]] of body fluids include:{{cn|date=November 2022}}
* ''Blood sampling'' for any [[blood test]], in turn including:
** [[Artery|Arterial]] blood sampling, such as [[radial artery puncture]]
** [[Venous]] blood sampling, also called [[venipuncture]]
* [[Lumbar puncture]] to sample [[cerebrospinal fluid]]
