Rapid methods for microbial diagnosis of mycobacterial infections.

The Authors describe their experience in rapid diagnosis of mycobacterial infections using a combination of a radiometric blood culture (Bactec 13 A) and a nucleic acid hybridization system (Gen probe, Accuprobe) to detect and identify Mycobacteria. They found out that a high number of septicaemias in HIV positive patients are due to Mycobacterium avium, while in HIV negative subjects Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the most frequent mycobacterium.