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Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1988 Sep;26(9):1641–1644. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.9.1641-1644.1988

Optimal use of the cytocentrifuge for recovery and diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii in bronchoalveolar lavage and sputum specimens.

V J Gill 1, N A Nelson 1, F Stock 1, G Evans 1
PMCID: PMC266687  PMID: 3263385

Abstract

To facilitate the diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii from bronchoalveolar lavage and sputum specimens, we have defined conditions for optimal use of the cytocentrifuge for this purpose. Centrifugation in the cytocentrifuge at 1,200 rpm for 10 min yielded the best recovery of P. carinii. To reliably ensure complete absorption of the fluid specimen from the cytocentrifuge chamber, it was necessary to use two absorption filters simultaneously. Different methods of treating induced sputum with mucolytic agents to process sputum with the cytocentrifuge were tried. Results of these studies and our current method for treating sputa are discussed. Comparisons of slides prepared by traditional centrifugation and by cytocentrifuge processing showed the latter to be equally effective for detecting P. carinii. The most prominent advantage of the cytocentrifuge was the much smaller area to review and consequently the shortened time required to read the slides.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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