The Vacutainer Anaerobic Specimen Collector with swab provides a method to protect anaerobic bacteria from exposure to toxic amounts of oxygen during the time from specimen collection to inoculation of suitable media. The system may also be used for liquid specimens collected with a needle and syringe. Although primarily designed for the collection of specimens suspected of containing anaerobic organisms, aerobic organisms will survive in this system. The Vacutainer Anaerobic Specimen Collector is particularly suited for instances where volumes are small or dilution of specimens by a transport medium is to be avoided.