title: Recovery of Mycobacterium avium-M. intracellulare from blood specimens by using the routine BACTEC 6B blood culture system.
abstract: We describe a simple technique for recovery of Mycobacterium avium-M. intracellulare from blood culture specimens by using the BACTEC 460, a system used for routine blood cultures in many hospital laboratories. A total of 26 of 215 blood specimens (12%) from 11 of 48 patients (23%) with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-related complex yielded isolates of M. avium-M. intracellulare. Acid-fast staining of prepared specimens was positive for 16 of 26 cultures that ultimately yielded the organism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Horn
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laszlo
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Robson
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000382:microbiology; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D006801:Humans; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018805:Sepsis / Q000382:microbiology*