title: Performance comparison of a pair of Lowenstein-Jensen media supplemented with pyruvate or glycerol, and the combination of both supplements in a single Lowenstein-Jensen medium for the growth support of the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis complex.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the performance of Lowenstein-Jensen medium (LJ) supplemented with pyruvate and glycerol (LJPG), compared with LJ supplemented with pyruvate (LJP) or glycerol (LJG) for the support of mycobacterial growth.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used 100 Ziehl-Neelsen-confirmed positive mycobacterium growth indicator tube 960 culture samples that were obtained from clinical samples during routine diagnosis. All cultures were inoculated in parallel on LJG/LJP and on LJGP, which were incubated and read weekly for the evidence of growth. The mycobacterial recovery rate, contamination rate, and time to detection were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The recovery rate for LJG/LJP and for LJPG was 90% (90 samples) and 88% (88 samples), respectively (kappa p-value, 0.9). There was no significant difference in the contamination rate, which was 8% (8 samples) for LJG/LJP and 9% (9 samples) for LJPG. Mycobacterial growth was faster in LJPG (1.6weeks) than in LJG/LJP (2weeks).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A single LJPG slope was not significantly different, compared with the usual pair of LJG or LJP slopes. This is a promising new culturing approach that could be used in Mycobacterium africanum-endemic in West African countries. It significantly reduces labor time and consumable costs and more quickly detects the M. tuberculosis complex.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Serrekunda, the Gambia, Serrekunda, Gambia; Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: faburayak@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Alieu K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Faburay
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Serrekunda, the Gambia, Serrekunda, Gambia.
authors.forename: Francis S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Mendy
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Serrekunda, the Gambia, Serrekunda, Gambia.
authors.forename: Jacob K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Otu
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Serrekunda, the Gambia, Serrekunda, Gambia.
authors.forename: Tutty Isatou
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Faal-Jawara
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Serrekunda, the Gambia, Serrekunda, Gambia; Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gehre
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Serrekunda, the Gambia, Serrekunda, Gambia.
authors.forename: Ousman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Secka
keywords: Glycerol; Lowenstein–Jensen (LJ); Lowenstein–Jensen media; Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex; Pyruvate