AFBBiosCx

Liquid culture - 2.0 mL

Solid culture - Single mature colony

At least 2 patient specific identifiers:  First and last name as one identifier and a DOB or a unique patient specific identifier (e.g. medical records number).

Specimen identification must match specimen submission form.

Ship according to Dangerous Goods Regulations, IATA, and/or CFR 49

Category B shipping applies for unidentified isolates.

Biochemical testing to detect the presence of absence of an enzyme.

Physiological testing

• Identification by biochemical tests is performed in conjunction with the morphological characteristics of the isolate and the HPLC pattern derived from cell wall analysis.
• Biochemical testing can be affected by the age of the culture.
• Identification by biochemical testing is limited and may not differentiate species without testing such as sequencing or mass spectrometry.

• Cultures overgrown by mold.
• Cultures broken in transit.

Complex biochemical testing includes the most common biochemical panel and the less frequently used biochemical/physiological studies for the identification of Mycobacterium species.