A sampling device for a specimen container having a closure sealing the interior of the specimen container from the environment includes a needle, a body coupled to the needle and defining a chamber in fluid communication with the needle, the body further comprising a port forming an opening in the body, the port in fluid communication with the chamber. A multitude of the sampling devices may be stored in a cassette. The sampling devices may include a second chamber for separation and concentration of a microbial agent present in a sample. In this configuration second chamber is connected to the first chamber via a valve or the like.