Abstract
It is a commonly held opinion that acid-fast staining of urine or gastric aspirates is not a reliable indicator of mycobacterial disease because of the presence of saprophytic mycobacteria. In order to determine the clinical usefulness of acid-fast staining of these body fluids, we reviewed our 10-yr experience with acid-fast stains. Forty-seven of 5,829 urine specimens (0.8%) and 39 of 309 gastric aspirates (12.6%) yielded mycobacteria on culture. Twenty-three urine specimens and 12 gastric aspirates had positive acid-fast stains. Of these, only one possible false positive acid-fast stain of urine (< 1%) was found and none was found in gastric aspirates. Thus, acid-fast stains of urine and gastric aspirates are, when positive, reliable indicators of true mycobacterial disease.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1197-1198 |
| Number of pages | 2 |
| Journal | American Review of Respiratory Disease |
| Volume | 136 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1987 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine