Comparison of the sodium dodecyl sulfate-sodium hydroxide specimen processing method with the C18-carboxypropylbetaine specimen processing method using the MB/BacT liquid culture system.

The ability of physicians to diagnose tuberculosis is impacted by the use of smear and culture techniques combined with specimen processing methods. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of specimen processing on smear and culture sensitivity by comparing the specimen processing method that uses C(18)-carboxypropylbetaine with the method that combines sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium hydroxide. A total of 1,201 specimens were entered into this study.