Assessment of use of the COBAS AMPLICOR system with BACTEC 12B cultures for rapid detection of frequently identified mycobacteria.
The use of the COBAS AMPLICOR System (Roche Molecular Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland), the only automated system for PCR testing, was evaluated for a rapid identification of mycobacteria with positive BACTEC 12B cultures. Two hundred ninety-six specimens with a growth index of >/=30 were analyzed for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, Mycobacterium avium, and Mycobacterium intracellulare. Compared to traditional methods and provided that samples with PCR inhibition are retested at a 1:10 dilution, the sensitivity and specificity of the COBAS AMPLICOR System with BACTEC 12B cultures were 100 and 98%, respectively. The COBAS AMPLICOR method is rapid and reliable for identifying the most common mycobacteria in cultures.
Ninet
B
B
Division of Infectious Diseases, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Hôpital Cantonal Universitaire, CH 1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Beatrice.Ninet@hcuge.ch
Rohner
P
P
Metral
C
C
Auckenthaler
R
R
D001331:Automation; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009162:Mycobacterium avium / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015270:Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection / Q000175:diagnosis; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D013557:Switzerland; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis