Home
HelpAFB Culture
eDH Procedure Code(s)
LAB877 AFB culture
LAB2024 M. tuberculosis complex/Rifampin PCR + AFB Culture
Test Information
AFB culture includes a direct smear stain (exception: blood, CSF, urine). Direct smears are batched once daily Monday-Friday. If a smear result is needed to rule out TB over a weekend or holiday, call the lab.
Collection Information
Collect specimens in a sterile leak-proof container.
Swabs are suboptimal specimens for mycobacterial culture and are strongly discouraged. If a swab cannot be avoided only E-swabs are acceptable.
Lower Respiratory (sputum): sterile container, minimum volume 2mL
Collection of three sputum specimens at 8-24 hour intervals and including at least one first morning specimen is recommended for patients with clinical & chest x-ray findings compatible with tuberculosis.
Body Fluid: sterile container or Eswab, minimum volume 1mL
Tissue: sterile container or Eswab, minimum 5-10mm (pea-sized tissue)
Blood: Myco F/lytic bottle (call lab to obtain)- volume 1-5 mL, with the optimum range of 3-5 mL. NOTE: The bottle will accept more than the maximum of 5mL, if the bottle is overfilled it will increase the likelihood of a false positive.
CSF: sterile container- minimum volume 5mL, if a volume of less than 5 mL is processed for culture a disclaimer is added to the report “Specimen received with sub-optimal CSF volume <5mL. The sensitivity of the AFB culture is therefore compromised.”
Urine: sterile container, minimum 30-50mL
Bone marrow: testing is referred to Mayo Medical Laboratories
Specimen Information
| Specimen Type | Specimen Source | Acceptable Containers | Minimum Test Volume (mL) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerebrospinal Fluid | Cerebrospinal Fluid | CSF-R | 1.0 | |
| Varies | Varies | SterCup-R | 1.0 | |
| Blood | Blood, Venous | BCxAFB-A | 1.0 | |
| Varies | Varies | E-Swb-R | 1.0 | |
| Varies | Varies | Swab-A | 1.0 | |
Shipping and Handling
Transport Temperature: Blood and Bone Marrow: Ambient other specimens: Refrigerated
Specimen Stability (Bottle)
Ambient: 24 hours
Refrigerate: n/a
Frozen: n/a
Specimen Stability (eSwab or Sterile Cup)
Ambient: n/a
Refrigerate: 72 hours
Frozen: n/a
Test Components
| Component | LOINC Code |
|---|---|
| ACID FAST BACILLI CULTURE | 543-9 |
| ACID FAST STAIN | 23241-3 |
Turnaround Time (TAT)
4 Weeks
CPT Code(s)
87116
Performing Lab Section
Microbiology
Performing Lab(s)
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center Laboratory (MHMH)