Test | Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) Culture, Respiratory |
Lab | MICROBIOLOGY |
Specimen | Up to 3 specimens 8-24 hours apart. 5 mL minimum. SPUTUM: early morning sputum in a leak-proof container. BAL/OTHER: Submit in sterile leak-proof container. |
Outreach Notes | Refrigerate and transport to the Microbiology lab as soon as possible |
Special Instructions | Collect Time is required for each specimen submission. |
Turnaround | Test is performed daily. Smear results in 24 hours. Final culture in 42 days. |
Ref Interval | All first time clinical specimens that demonstrate the presence of AFB on smear will be reflexed to PCR testing for M. tuberculosis. A negative test result does not exclude the presence of M. tuberculosis, correlation with culture results is recommended. |