title: Evaluation of thin-layer agar 7H11 for the isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.
abstract: We evaluated the thin-layer agar (TLA) method for the recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and compared the results with the BACTEC Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) 960 system. A total of 53 mycobacterial isolates were isolated on both media. The recovery rates of mycobacteria on TLA and BACTEC MGIT 960 system were respectively 90.6% and 96.2%. Mean time to detection of mycobacteria on TLA was 12.5 compared to 11.2 days on BACTEC MGIT 960. TLA is a simple technique and can be used as an alternative to the Löwenstein-Jensen medium and BACTEC MGIT 960 for the isolation of mycobacteria in resource-poor settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. luqmansatti@hotmail.com
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Satti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ikram
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abbasi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D003470:Culture Media; D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010154:Pakistan; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D013997:Time Factors; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic