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How many sputum samples is protocol for aspergillus testing?
MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Oct 17 8:27am | Replies (5)Comment receiving replies
I wonder if @irenea8 might help answer that.
All/most sputum samples looking for more common bacteria are not done in sets of 3. TB and NTM have long been exception. I'm not sure if aspergillous is, too. I tried to find info and Mayo mentioned "culture" and one article mentioned getting two because it's common and false positives are possible. I'm hoping someone has recent experience.
Replies to "I wonder if @irenea8 might help answer that. All/most sputum samples looking for more common bacteria..."
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@pacathy
The only test I have heard of that requires 3 is MAC. A certain number of them must be positive to be considered as having it (2). Environmental contamination: MAC organisms are common in the environment and can contaminate a single sputum sample. Requiring multiple positive samples helps rule out contamination and ensures the infection is clinically significant. I do not know of other bacterias that require more than one but could be.