Factors contribute to efficiency of specimen concentration of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by centrifugation and magnetic beads.

Background: A concentration of specimen is recommended for the effective recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), but the bacteriological efficiency is not well evaluated. The present study evaluated the factors contributing to concentration efficiency of centrifugation and bead-based technique (TB-Beads; Microsens, UK) to recover MTB by using simple in vitro specimens.

Methods: Four specimens were prepared (6.