title: Cord formation in BACTEC 7H12 medium for rapid, presumptive identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.
abstract: We evaluated cord formation in BACTEC 7H12 medium as a criterion for rapid identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Kinyoun-stained smears, prepared from 270 radiometrically positive BACTEC 7H12 bottles, were examined independently by three observers. Smears from 93.2, 88.6, and 83.0% of the M. tuberculosis complex cultures were read as cord positive, and smears from 97.3, 97.8, and 99.5% of the mycobacteria other than M. tuberculosis cultures were read as cord negative by the three observers, respectively. There was 93.3% agreement between the observers. The presence of cords in BACTEC 7H12 medium can be a reliable criterion for rapid, presumptive identification of M. tuberculosis complex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, New York 14642.
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Yagupsky
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kaminski
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: F S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Nolte
mesh_terms: D003311:Cord Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003470:Culture Media; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011874:Radiometry; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D003311:Cord Factors; D003470:Culture Media; D006017:Glycolipids