Utility of MPT64 antigen test for differentiating mycobacteria: Can correlation with liquid culture smear morphology add further value?

Context: Clinical presentation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections may or may not be the same, but the treatment is always different. Hence accurate differentiation between MTBC and NTM is of utmost importance.

Aims: To assess in parallel, the utility of MPT64 antigen immunochromatography assay (MPT64 ICT) and bacillary morphology on liquid culture smear, for rapid differentiation between MTBC and NTM in clinical isolates.

Identifying Candida and other yeast-like fungi: utility of an identification algorithm in resource limited setting.

Aim: The increasing recovery rates of unusual yeasts with innate drug resistance make accurate identification crucial for successful therapy and infection control measures. The current study was undertaken to study the utility of CHROMagar Candida (CC) and evaluate an identification algorithm, using germ tube test (GT), CC and a commercial identification kit, API ID 32C.

Settings And Design: The prospective study was carried out at a private laboratory in Mumbai, India.