Selection of sputum specimens for microbiological examination

The purpose of this study was to compare the leucocyte esterase (LE) strip test with direct microscopy of Gram-stained sputum smears for the demonstration of leucocytes (WBC) and to develop a simple method for selecting specimens suitable for cultural examination. A total of 11% of specimens were demonstrated to be unsuitable for bacteriological examination using the proposed algorithm. It is thought that this technique offers a simple alternative to traditional microscopy alone for screening sputum specimens.