Comparison of the Bacter system and Löwenstein-Jensen medium for cultivation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples
Gimeno, C.; García-Bravo, M.; Machuca, J.; Palenque, E.
Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiologia Clinica 10(3): 135-137
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0213-005X PMID: 1576185 Document Number: 403416
Over a period of two years, 1364 clinical samples from pulmonary sources, were studied in order to compare the Bactec-TB system with the Löwenstein-Jensen medium, for isolation of mycobacteria. Within this period of time, 93 strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were isolated, 71 (76%) were isolated by the Bactec system, and 69 (74%) were isolated by the Löwenstein-Jensen. The number of contaminations was lower for the Bactec system (3.2%) than for the Löwenstein-Jensen medium (5.3%). The mean time of isolation with the Bactec was 16.4 days. The mean time of isolation with Löwenstein-Jensen medium was 21.9 days. Identification of the strains with the Bactec system by the p-nitro-a-acetilamin-beta-hidroxipropiphenone inhibition test gave a 100% correlation with the conventional biochemical methods used for the identification of the same strains growth of Löwenstein-Jensen.