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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 01 1997, 121-124, Vol 35, No. 1
GL Woods, G Fish, M Plaunt and T Murphy
The reliability of the ESP Culture System II (ESP II; Difco Laboratories,
Detroit, Mich.), a continuously monitoring mycobacterial culture system,
was evaluated by comparing its performance with the BACTEC TB 460 (BACTEC
TB) and Middlebrook 7H11/7H11 selective agar systems. A total of 2,283
specimens of all types (70.7% were respiratory specimens) were cultured;
149 (6.5%) yielded mycobacteria. The most common species recovered were
Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC, 73 isolates) and Mycobacterium
tuberculosis complex (MTBC, 53 isolates). The recovery rates by individual
system were 87, 81, and 65% for ESP II, BACTEC TB, and Middlebrook agar,
respectively, for all mycobacteria; the recovery rates were 89, 92, and
89%, respectively, for MTBC. For liquid plus solid medium system
combinations, recovery rates for all mycobacteria and for MTBC,
respectively, were 91 and 94% for ESP II plus Middlebrook agar and 85 and
96% for BACTEC TB plus Middlebrook agar. The difference between the
recovery rates of all mycobacteria by ESP II and by BACTEC TB was not
significant, whereas for the individual species, the only significant
difference was recovery of more isolates of MAC by ESP II. For those
isolates recovered in the individual systems, mean times to detection of
all mycobacteria, MTBC, and MAC, respectively, were 13.1, 15.5, and 10.9
days for ESP II; 14.4, 16.6, and 12.1 days for BACTEC TB; and 17.8, 18.3,
and 18.8 days for Middlebrook agar. ESP II is a reliable, nonradiometric,
less labor-intensive alternative to BACTEC TB for growth and detection of
mycobacteria, but as with other liquid culture methods, ESP II should be
used in combination with a solid medium, not as a stand-alone system.
Copyright © 1997 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Clinical evaluation of difco ESP culture system II for growth and detection of mycobacteria
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555-0740, USA.
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