Available online 20 April 2023, 115959

The BACT/ALERT® MP Reagent System is a broth culture medium for optimal detection and recovery of mycobacteria from clinical samples. The MP formulation was recently modified to improve detection and recovery times. A multicenter prospective matched pair study design was conducted to validate performance of improved MP (MP-I) versus current MP (MP-C) bottles utilizing non-sterile and normally sterile samples, except blood, from patients suspected of having mycobacterial infections. A total of 1488 clinical samples were collected to obtain 212 mycobacteria samples by either or both MP culture bottles. MP-I and MP-C sensitivities were 86.6% and 81.4%, respectively, but the difference was not significant (p=0.163) while specificities were 96.8% and 93.8%, respectively, and that difference was significant (p=0.002). Overall recovery was 94.34% for MP-I and 88.68% for MP-C. (Recovery was 100% for both bottles with 52 seeded samples). Overall performance of MP-I was better than MP-C for sensitivity, specificity, and recovery.

Mycobacteria

Culture

Detection

© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc.