Acid Fast Bacilli Smear

Included Tests

Acid-Fast Bacilli Stain

Clinical Significance

There are more than 70 species of mycobacteria of which the primary pathogen is M. tuberculosis.  Tuberculosis is a chronic, granulomatous disease casued by M. tuberculosis.  Identification, and, if appropriate, antibiotic sensitivity, is required to initiate necessary therapy.

Client Notes:

Acid Fast Smear is included in an Acid Fast Culture automatically and should rarely be ordered alone.

Patient Preparation

 Expectorated sputum: Instruct patient to gargle with water and cough deeply.  Three separate early morning collections on at least three consecutive days are recommended.

Specimen Requirements

Preferred Specimen(s):
10 mL of  body fluids, lower respiratory tract specimens, or gastric lavage in sterile container 
or 
2 mL CSF
or
40.0 mL urine in sterile, leak-proof container
or
2 grams fresh (unfixed) tissue in sterile container
or
1 mL exudate, aspirate, lesion material, ocular specimen collected in a sterile, leak-proof container

Minimum Volume:
2 mL of body fluids, lower respiratory tract specimens, or gastric lavage 
or
1 mL CSF
or
1 gram fresh tissue (unfixed)
or
20 mL urine
or
1 mL or 1 swab wound, exudates, aspirates, lesion material, or ocular specimens

Alternate Specimen

 Swabs in Amies liquid, Amies gel swab transport system, Stuarts or ESwab, ONLY if tissue biopsy or wound aspirate is not available;
Samples in Anaerobic transport medium, ONLY if it is an irreplaceable sample type;
Throat, oral or sputum swabs from Cystic-fibrosis patients

TransportAndStorage

Transport refrigerated

Specimen Stability:
Ambient: unacceptable
Refrigerated: 5 days
Frozen: unacceptable

Collection Instructions

Tissue and biopsy material: Steile, leak-proof container with small amount of saline, no fixative or preservative.

Gastric lavage fluid: Sterile, leak-proof container.  Must be neutralized with sodium bicarbonate within 4 hours of collection.

Sputums may be collected in sputum collection device per instructions. (First AM, deep cough specimens are best). 

Urine should be first/early AM collection

Minimum Volume

Neonatal Volumne

Reference Range:

See Laboratory Report

Methodology:

• Microscopic Exam w/ Fluorochrome Stain

Clinical Significance

There are more than 70 species of mycobacteria of which the primary pathogen is M. tuberculosis.  Tuberculosis is a chronic, granulomatous disease casued by M. tuberculosis.  Identification, and, if appropriate, antibiotic sensitivity, is required to initiate necessary therapy.

CDM

01412707

CPT Coding

87206, 87015