Rapid cultivation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in liquid medium

A total of 894 specimens have been examined by the rapid method for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The medium used for the rapid isolation was Veeraraghavan's modified medium V (T2). It is a rich synthetic medium consisting of amino acids, salts and vitamins. It enables the growth of mycobacteria within 48 hrs. The study was carried out to compare the results of Veeraraghavan's liquid medium with LJ medium in routine clinical laboratory. The results of this study indicate that the rapid method gives consistently better results than those obtained by the standard method. The results compare well with the findings of Daginawala and Banker.