title: Evaluation of the Kudoh method for mycobacterial culture: Gambia experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the Kudoh swab method for improving laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in Gambia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 75 sputa (50 smear positive and 25 smear negative) were examined. Sputum samples were collected from leftover routine samples from the Medical Research Council Unit, Gambia TB Diagnostic Laboratory. The samples were processed using the standard N-acetyl-l-cysteine-NaOH (NALC-NaOH) methods currently used and Kudoh swab method. These were cultured on standard Lowenstein Jensen (LJ) and Modified Ogawa media, respectively, and incubated aerobically at 36±1°C for mycobacterial growth. To determine if the decontamination and culture methods compared could equally detect the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) highly commonly isolated in Gambia, spoligotyping was done.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 72% (54/75) of MTBC were recovered by both LJ and Modified Ogawa methods. The LJ method recovered 52% (39/75) and Modified Ogawa recovered 56% (42/75) of the MTBC, respectively. Spoligotyping showed Euro-American 35% (19/54), Indo-Oceanic 35% (19/54), Mycobacterium africanum (West African type 2) 26% (14/54), Beijing 2% (1/54), and M. africanum (West African type 1) 2% (1/54).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Kudoh method is simpler and cheaper than the NALC-NaOH method. There was no significant difference in recovery between the methods. The Kudoh method is ideal in overburdened TB laboratories with poor resources in developing countries. The predominant lineages were Euro-American and Indo-Oceanic, followed by M. africanum (West African type 2).
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Gambia. Electronic address: tijanjobarteh5@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Tijan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jobarteh
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Gambia.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Otu
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Gambia.
authors.forename: Ensa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gitteh
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Gambia.
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mendy
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Gambia.
authors.forename: Tutty I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Faal-Jawara
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Gambia.
authors.forename: Boatema
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ofori-Anyinam
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Gambia.
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ayorinde
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Gambia.
authors.forename: Ousman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Secka
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Gambia.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Antonio
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Gambia; Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gehre
keywords: Kudoh method; Lowenstein Jensen medium; Modified Ogawa medium; Mycobacteria; N-Acetyl-l-cysteine-NaOH method; Tuberculosis