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Home / The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Volume 19, Number 6

Free Content Cord formation in BACTECTM medium aids rapid identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex

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Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) organisms form serpentine cords in fluid culture medium. Reporting of a presumptive identification of MTC based on cording allows rapid identification of patients with tuberculosis. A total of 612 positive mycobacterial cultures from 316 patients over 3 years (2008–2010) were evaluated for the presence of cord formation. Cording was identified in 426 (69.6%) specimens, while the reference laboratory confirmed M. tuberculosis in 424 specimens (69.3%). Sensitivity of the test in our laboratory was 99.1% (95%CI 97.4–99.7) and specificity was 96.8% (95%CI 92.8–98.7). Presumptive identification of M. tuberculosis by the presence of cording formation is both sensitive and specific.
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Keywords: BACTEC; cording; microbiology; non-tuberculous mycobacteria; tuberculosis

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK 2: Department of Medical Microbiology, Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust, London, UK 3: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust, London, UK

Publication date: 01 June 2015

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  • The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is for clinical research and epidemiological studies on lung health, including articles on TB, TB-HIV and respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, asthma, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and air pollution. Individuals and institutes can subscribe to the IJTLD online or in print – simply email us at [email protected] for details.

    The IJTLD is dedicated to understanding lung disease and to the dissemination of knowledge leading to better lung health. To allow us to share scientific research as rapidly as possible, the IJTLD is fast-tracking the publication of certain articles as preprints prior to their publication. Read fast-track articles.

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