title: Bulk staining of smears: no demonstrated risk of bacilli transfer from a positive to a negative smear.
abstract: Despite a theoretical risk of transfer of bacilli from a positive to a negative smear, bulk staining is routinely performed in many laboratories. To assess this risk in our laboratory, two smears were made from each sputum specimen and stained with auramine: one smear was stained on a rack and the second using the bulk method. Smears were read blind using a fluorescence microscope. A total of 811 sputum specimens were analysed. No acid-fast bacilli transfer was observed even when staining solution jars had not been renewed for 3 days. Bulk staining is rapid and cheap, and could be used in laboratories with a high workload in low-resource settings.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Référence des Mycobactéries, Cotonou, Bénin. affolabi_dissou@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Affolabi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Odoun
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Sanoussi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tanimomo-Kledjo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saïzonou
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Soumaïla
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kestens
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Anagonou
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Portaels
mesh_terms: D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology*; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis