Collect
Submit a positive acid-fast bacilli (AFB) slant or at least 2.0 mL of a broth culture. Specify the type of media used.
Unacceptable Conditions
Organisms submitted on a Petri dish. Clinical specimens.
Storage Transport Temp
Room temperature
Notes
The Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex consists of the closely related organisms M. tuberculosis, M. africanum, M. bovis, M. bovis BCG, and a few additional species rarely identified in the U.S. The accurate molecular species identification within the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex is paramount to guide public health and primary care decisions more effectively. Contact tracing can be different in cases of M. tuberculosis and M. bovis. Additionally, unnecessary pyrazinamide treatment can be rapidly excluded from the treatment regimen in the case of M. bovis, or M. bovis BCG since they are naturally resistant to pyrazinamide.
The distribution of the various species is as follows and may vary according to the patient population served: M. tuberculosis (95%), M. bovis (2%), M. bovis BCG (1.5%), and others (1.5%).
Mycobacterium bovis Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is a live, attenuated strain of M. bovis. In addition to its well-known use as a vaccine against tuberculosis overseas, BCG is still the most effective agent for the treatment of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Patients with BCG disease are typically first encountered by a primary care or emergency room physician, sometimes months or years after the last exposure to BCG.
M. bovis causes disease in cattle, deer and other mammals. In humans, consumption of unpasteurized infected cow's milk products can cause infection, as well as transmission from an infectious TB patient harboring M. bovis bacteria.