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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2002, p. 4100-4104, Vol. 40, No. 11
0095-1137/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.11.4100-4104.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Estimation of the Rate of Unrecognized Cross-Contamination with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in London Microbiology Laboratories

M. Ruddy,1 T. D. McHugh,1 J. W. Dale,2 D. Banerjee,3 H. Maguire,4 P. Wilson,5 F. Drobniewski,6 P. Butcher,3 and S. H. Gillespie1*

Department of Medical Microbiology, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London NW3 2PF,1 School of Biomedical and Life Sciences University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH,2 Department of Medical Microbiology, St George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE,3 Communicable Diseases Surveillance Centre London, London W2 3QR,4 Microbiology Department, The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, London E1 IBB,5 Public Health Laboratory Service Mycobacterium Reference Unit, King's College Hospital, East Dulwich Grove, London SE22 8QF, United Kingdom6

Received 30 May 2002/ Returned for modification 30 June 2002/ Accepted 25 July 2002

Isolates from patients with confirmed tuberculosis from London were collected over 2.5 years between 1995 and 1997. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was performed by the international standard technique as part of a multicenter epidemiological study. A total of 2,779 samples representing 2,500 individual patients from 56 laboratories were examined. Analysis of these samples revealed a laboratory cross-contamination rate of between 0.54%, when only presumed cases of cross-contamination were considered, and 0.93%, when presumed and possible cases were counted. Previous studies suggest an extremely wide range of laboratory cross-contamination rates of between 0.1 and 65%. These data indicate that laboratory cross-contamination has not been a common problem in routine practice in the London area, but in several incidents patients did receive full courses of therapy that were probably unnecessary.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Medical Microbiology Department, Royal Free Campus, Royal Free and University College Medical School, Rowland Hill St., London NW3 2PF, United Kingdom. Phone: 020 7794 0500, ext. 3539. Fax: 020 7794 0433. E-mail: stepheng{at}rfc.ucl.ac.uk.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2002, p. 4100-4104, Vol. 40, No. 11
0095-1137/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.11.4100-4104.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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