Retrieval of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures suspended in phosphate buffered saline

One hundred and twenty-seven of 130 isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, suspended in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and stored at ambient conditions in the laboratory for 14 days, and another 55 of 60 cultures, suspended as above, transported from reference laboratories within 7 days, were successfully retrieved on LJ medium. Considering the maximum retrieval of M. tuberculosis, use of PBS can be explored further for transportation of M. tuberculosis cultures across laboratories. (C) 2012 Asian-African Society for Mycobacteriology. All rights reserved.