RADIOMETRIC QUANTIFICATION OF MYCOBACTERIUM-AVIUM COMPLEX

The purpose of this study was to establish a system that would allow r apid and reliable quantification of Mycobacterium avium complex infect ion with a method that was as sensitive as counting of colony-forming units but less time-consuming and safer in the laboratory. The radiome tric system for quantification of mycobacteria (Bactec, Becton Dickins on, USA) which calculates growth curves, was found to be faster! safer , and as sensitive as the established method of counting colony-formin g units, with a low intra-assay variation and a wide assay range. Furt hermore, the calculated growth curves provided important additional in formation about replication characteristics of the mycobacteria.