Evaluación del medio de Stonebrink para la recuperación de micobacterias

the rate of recovery and time to detection of mycobacteria from clinical specimens were analysed using two solid egg-based culture media during a four years period (1997-2000). a total of 7,806 samples were inoculated on l？wenstein-jensen and stonebrink (l？wenstein-jensen with sodium pyruvate) media, of which 294 showed positive culture for mycobacteria. a 70.4% of mycobacteria were isolated from both media; a 16.7% only from l？wenstein-jensen medium, all them mycobacterium tuberculosis; and another 12.9% only from stonebrink medium (23 m. tuberculosis, 8 m. bovis, 5 m. avium, 1 m. fortuitum, and 1 m. gordonae). the time required for m. tuberculosis to grow on l？wenstein-jensen medium was significantly greater than the time required to grow on stonebrink medium. this last medium was more efficient for m. tuberculosis recovering from samples with low concentration of bacilli. the use of a combination of both media substantially increased the microbiological diagnosis of mycobacterium infections.