Guided sputum sample collection and culture contamination rates in the diagnosis of pulmonary TB.
A comparative study to evaluate contamination in cultures of morning sputum samples, comparing those collected at home under currently recommended conditions and those collected under supervision after patient orientation and education. The home and supervised collection groups produced 43 and 76 sputum samples, respectively. The contamination rate was nearly 3-times higher among samples collected at home than among those collected under supervision (37% vs. 13%, p < 0.05; OR = 0.25). The simple educational and hygiene measures described can decrease the contamination rate among sputum samples collected for diagnostic culture.
Maciel
Ethel Leonor Noia
EL
Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil. emaciel@ndi.ufes.br
Prado
Thiago Nascimento do
TN
Peres
Renata Lyrio
RL
Palaci
Moises
M
Johnson
John L
JL
Dietze
Reynaldo
R
D000328:Adult; D004866:Equipment Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D008297:Male; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis*