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Sputum stain for mycobacteria

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Sputum test
Sputum test
Alternative Names

Acid fast bacilli stain; AFB stain; Tuberculosis smear; TB smear


Normal Values

The presence of no mycobacterial organisms is normal.


What abnormal results mean

Abnormal results show that the stain is positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium-intracellular, or other Mycobacteria or acid-fast bacteria.


Review Date: 11/16/2005
Reviewed By: Monica Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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