TABLE 1.

Overall results of blood cultures for the detection of mycobacteremia in HIV-infected patients during a 10-month period

Patient group and result	Patients (n)
Patients with tuberculosis
Negative BacT/ALERT FA/positive BACTECa	3
Positive BacT/ALERT/negative BACTEC	5
Positive BacT/ALERT/positive BACTEC	7
Only positive BacT/ALERT FA or positive BACTECb	8
Positive specimen/negative blood culturec	32
Patients without tuberculosis	421
Total	476

^aBacT/ALERT FA, nutrient-rich complex media, supplemented with 6.5% charcoal; BACTEC, mixture of Middlebrook 7H9 and brain heart infusion broth.

^bFor eight patients only one type of blood culture bottle was received.

^cPositive specimen was a culture of any type of specimen other than blood that yielded mycobacteria (52 specimens from 32 patients: 4 urine, 6 cerebrospinal fluid, 7 biopsy, and 35 respiratory specimens).