Mycobactericidal activity of various concentrations of bleach.

Treatment of sputum samples using bleach has been proposed to sterilize the sample and increase the sensitivity of smear microscopy, for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). However the concentration and exposure times needed for sterilizing sputum samples are poorly defined. In this study, thirty sputum samples that tested positive for acid fast bacilli by direct smear microscopy at microbiology laboratory were divided into three groups and treated with equal amounts of 5%, 3%, 1% bleach.

Successful treatment of tuberculous and nocardial arthritis in a hemodialysis patient with subsequent kidney transplant.

A 42-year-old physician on maintenance hemodialysis for chronic renal failure presented with intermittent fever and arthritis of the right knee. Synovectomy specimen of the right knee showed caseating granuloma, consistent with tuberculosis, which was successfully treated with a four-drug regimen of anti-tuberculous therapy. Subsequently, he had a recurrent effusion of the same joint, which on aspiration showed nocardial infection.