MYCOBACTERIA: Culture Media

 use a combination of at least one solid & one liquid medium

 best cyulture medium is cheap, allows rapid & abundant growth, inhibits growth of cotaminating organisms
 use test controls
 incubated 35° C in dark environment with 5-10% carbon dioxide & high humidity
 ifcultured in tubes, incubate in slanted position with loose screw caps for at least 1 week to allow evaporation of excess fluid and the entry of
carbon dioxied
 if plated, incubate in carbon dioxide-permeable plastic bag or wrapped with carbon dxide-permeable tape
 examined incubated plates weekly
 for contaminated cultures - discarded & reported as “contaminated, unable to detect presence of mycobacteria”
 additional specimens are requested
 isolates appear between 3 6 weeks
 a few isolates appear after 7 or 8 weeks of incubation