Comparison of Lowenstein-Jensen medium and MGIT culture system for recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from abscess samples.

Purpose: In this study, our aim was to assess Lowenstein-Jensen (L-J) medium and MGIT culture system for recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) from abscess samples in skeletal tuberculosis (TB) cases.

Methods: Abscess samples were collected from patients suggestive of skeletal TB in Beijing Chest Hospital for laboratory examination, including smear microscopy, L-J culture and MGIT culture.

Results: Of the 232 abscess samples, 72 (31.0%) were culture-positive for mycobacteria. Of 72 isolates recovered, 94.4% were detected in MGIT 960 and 75.0% on L-J medium. MGIT could recover significantly higher rate of MTB isolates from smear-positive specimens than L-J medium. The mean time to detection of MTB in MGIT 960 was significantly lower than that on L-J medium.

Conclusion: The BACTEC MGIT 960 outperforms the conventional L-J medium in recovering MTB from abscess samples. The combination of MGIT and L-J method also increases the overall recovery rate of MTB in culture.