Cord formation in BACTEC medium is a reliable, rapid method for presumptive identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.
Serpentine cord formation in BACTEC 12B medium was evaluated as a rapid method for the presumptive identification of M. tuberculosis complex. Kinyoun acid-fast stained smears were prepared from 666 positive BACTEC 12B bottles and examined for the presence or absence of serpentine cording. Cord formation had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 89.2, 99.2, 98.5, and 94.2%, respectively. The evaluation of the presence of cord formation in BACTEC 12B medium is reliable and permits the rapid presumptive reporting of M. tuberculosis.
McCarter
Y S
YS
Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut 06102-5037, USA. ymccart@harthosp.org
Ratkiewicz
I N
IN
Robinson
A
A
D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000382:microbiology; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003470:Culture Media; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014132:Trachea / Q000382:microbiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000382:microbiology
D003470:Culture Media