[Isolation of mycobacteria from sputum. Comparison of the MB Check with the radiometric and conventional method]

1179 sputum samples were investigated by the MB-Check, the conventional method and Bactec 460 to compare the recovery rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the contamination rate, and time requirement for the isolation. Of the 293 positive sputa, the MB-Check detected 89,1%, Löwenstein Jensen medium 90,1%, the Bactec-system 90,4%, the combination MB-Check/Löwenstein Jensen 95,9%; and the combination Bactec/Löwenstein Jensen 96,6%. The average detection times for 130 Mycobacterium tuberculosis-strains with the MB-Check slide, with the liquid medium of the MB-Check, with Löwenstein Jensen and with Bactec were 26.0, 20.4, 25.3, and 12.0 days, respectively.