Many sputum specimens are cultured unnecessarily. Sputum is often contaminated with saliva or is almost totally made up of saliva. These specimens rarely reveal the cause of the patient's respiratory problem and may provide laboratory information that is harmful. The sputum in question appears to be a good specimen. The pleomorphic Gram-negative rods are suggestive of Haemophilus, but culture of the secretions is necessary. Reference: Ananthanarayan and Paniker&;s Textbook of Microbiology Tenth edition