Objective: To evaluate the clinical application of BACTEC MGIT 960 system and molecular identification of mycobacterium species in diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis.
Methods: Thirty-one specimens were obtained from patients with spinal tuberculosis, followed by culturing with BACTEC MGIT 960 system and in Löwenstein-Jensen (L-J) medium respectively. Mycobacterium species of the clinical isolates were identified with PCR amplification of IS986 and PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis of 16S rRNA, with the conventional identification approach serving as control.
Results: The positivity rates of mycobacterium culture with BACTEC MGIT 960 system and L-J medium were 83.87 % and 61.29 % respectively. The average detection time with BACTEC MGIT 960 were 11.3 d, 15.4 d shorter than that with the L-J medium (26.7 d). The genetic identification of mycobacterium species was more rapid and accurate with consistent results with that from conventional method.
Conclusion: BACTEC MGIT 960 system is preferable for detecting mycobacteria in spinal tuberculosis. The combined application of this instrument with genetic identification of mycobacteria is an effective strategy for the bacteriological diagnosis of tuberculosis.