title: Specimen contamination in mycobacteriology laboratory detected by pseudo-outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: analysis by routine epidemiology and confirmation by molecular technique.
abstract: A cluster of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis sputum isolates led to the detection of specimen contamination in a hospital mycobacteriology laboratory. Thirteen specimens were smear negative but culture positive from one specimen only; 12 appeared to be contaminated. Each of these specimens was processed in the same batch as one or more smear- and culture-positive isolates. Molecular analysis confirmed the traditional epidemiologic, laboratory, and clinical methods of evaluating presumed mycobacterial contamination.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wurtz
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Demarais
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Trainor
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McAuley
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kocka
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mosher
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dietrich
mesh_terms: D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*