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. 1996 Apr;34(4):1017–1019. doi: 10.1128/jcm.34.4.1017-1019.1996

Specimen contamination in mycobacteriology laboratory detected by pseudo-outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: analysis by routine epidemiology and confirmation by molecular technique.

R Wurtz, P Demarais, W Trainor, J McAuley, F Kocka, L Mosher, S Dietrich
PMCID: PMC228944  PMID: 8815074

Abstract

A cluster of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis sputum isolates led to the detection of specimen contamination in a hospital mycobacteriology laboratory. Thirteen specimens were smear negative but culture positive from one specimen only; 12 appeared to be contaminated. Each of these specimens was processed in the same batch as one or more smear- and culture-positive isolates. Molecular analysis confirmed the traditional epidemiologic, laboratory, and clinical methods of evaluating presumed mycobacterial contamination.

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Selected References

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