Abstract

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MYCOBACTERIUM FROM PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS IN TAMIL NÄ€DU, INDIA

V. Ashwini* and Dr. Senthmailselvan Palanivelu

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Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is presently recognized as one of the most common opportunistic infections seen in HIV seropositive patients, mostly presenting in the form of pulmonary and extrapulmonary infections. A total of 234 clinically diagnosed and radiologically evident cases suggestive of pulmonary tuberculosis were selected for this study. Sputum sample of each patient was screened for Acid Fast Bacillus (AFB) by smeared and cultured staining. On examination 113 smears were found positive for AFB and 73 smears were negative by concentration method. A total of 186 samples were found to be culture positive and 48 were culture negative, of these 186 stains were identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, one was identified as M.avium complex (MAC). The biochemical tests showed successfully yielded true-negative results for TM cultures and 2 false-negative results for M.tuberculosis cultures. The most prominent TM species identified using PCRwere M. abscessus (48.7%), M. kansasii (15.4%), M. gordonae (10.3%), and M. intracellulare (7.7%). None of the 186 culture-positive samples collected from patients were identified as containing mixed cultures of M. tuberculosis and TM respectively.

Keywords: Tuberculosis, Mycoacterium, biochemical tests, PCR.