SCREENING SPUTUM SPECIMENS FOR MYCOBACTERIAL CULTURE

We investigated whether the rejection policy used in our laboratory fo r sputum specimens submitted for routine bacterial culture could be ap plied to sputum specimens submitted for mycobacterial culture. We comp ared the quality of sputum specimens, based on quantity of polymorphon uclear leukocytes and squamous epithelial cells observed in a Gram-sta ined smear with mycobacterial culture results. Of the 391 specimens ev aluated, 173 (44.2%) would have been rejected by our criteria. A mycob acterium was recovered from 42 (24.3%) of these specimens. Of the 218 specimens that would have been accepted, 66 (30.3%) grew a mycobacteri um. We concluded that our policy for rejection of sputum specimens sub mitted for routine bacterial culture should not be applied to those su bmitted for mycobacterial culture, unless it is possible to timely col lect a subsequent sample from patients whose initial specimen is found to be contaminated With saliva.