Table 2. Culturable MTB output in aerosols generated by cough from pulmonary TB patients.

	CASS samples					Sputum samples
	Andersen*	Biosampler				MGIT	Quantitative culture (Log10 values)
PID	7H11#	7H11	7H9+CF†	RI‡		TTP (h)§	7H11	7H9	7H9+CF†	RI
Andersen c.f.u. positive – DCTB negative, RI<0 (n=1)
11	49	200	3	<0		nt	nt	nt	nt	nt
Andersen c.f.u. positive, 7H11 c.f.u. negative, DCTB possible, RI<0.30 (n=5)
19	85	0	2	<0		93	5.5	≥6.1	6.1	0.6
1	4	0	1	<0		122	4.6	4.6	5.8	1.2
2	333	0	4	<0		NT¶	nt	nt	nt	nt
10	201	0	4	<0		80	5	4.9	5.4	0.4
8	3	0	12	0.08		nt	nt	nt	nt	nt
7H11 c.f.u. negative, DCTB probable, RI>0.30 (n=3)
24	33	0	24	0.38		148	3.4	0.6	3.2	−0.2
27	0	0	24	0.38		nt	nt	nt	nt	nt
25	0	0	560	1.75		236	nt	nt	nt	nt
Andersen or 7H11 c.f.u. positive, DCTB negative (n=12)
22	106	0	0	<0		118	5.4	0	4.9	−0.5
23	17	0	0	<0		114	6.2	0	1.4	−4.8
3	57	0	0	<0		nt	5.8	2.4	5.4	−0.4
4	203	200	0	<0		105	4.2	5.1	5.6	1.4
5	98	100	0	<0		114	5.8	1.9	5.8	0
6	67	0	0	<0		131	5	1.4	5.2	0.2
16	3	0	0	<0		113	nt	nt	nt	nt
26	1	0	0	<0		128	4.7	4.7	4.9	0.2
12	41	100	0	<0		149	5.1	1.5	1.7	−3.4
13	75	200	0	<0		110	4.7	1.5	3	−1.7
All aerosol cultures negative
7	1	0	0	<0		256	4.7	4.9	4.7	0
14	8	0	0	<0		nt	nt	nt	nt	nt
17	0	0	0	<0		140	0	0	6.2	5.2
20	0	0	0	<0		103	5.1	5.2	5.7	0.6
21	0	0	0	<0		172	4	1.1	1.1	−2.9
18	0	0	0	<0		158	4.5	1.3	4.7	0.2
9	0	0	0	<0		141	4.3	nt	nt	nt
15	0	0	0	<0		106	3	CC¶	CC¶	na

*Andersen Cascade.

†Middlebrook 7H9 supplemented with CF.

‡RI.

§Time-to-positivity.

¶Culture contamination.

#All 7H11 cultures denote c.f.u. counts.

Andersen samples reflect the total c.f.u. count from the cascade, Biosampler and quantitative culture values are per ml of sample. RI values (Log₁₀7H9+CF – Log₁₀7H11 c.f.u.) identify whether samples contain DCTB bacilli. RI values above 0 and <0.9 have been considered borderline and those >0.9 positive.

na, not applicable; nt, not tested; PID, patient identifier.