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Acid-Fast Bacillus (AFB) Identification
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Ordering Recommendation
Identify mycobacterial isolates, including requests for speciation within the M. tuberculosis complex.
Mnemonic
Methodology
Identification/Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization/Polymerase Chain Reaction/Sequencing
Performed
Sun-Sat
Reported
Varies (depends on organism growth)
New York DOH Approval Status
Specimen Required
Actively growing organism, in pure culture.
Place each specimen in an individually sealed bag. Transport sealed container with pure culture on solid or in liquid media.
Room temperature. If culture is suspected of being a microorganism identified on the IATA list as an infectious substance affecting humans, submit specimen according to Infectious Substance, Category A, shipping guidelines.
Mixed cultures or non-viable organisms. Organisms submitted on an agar plate.
Indicate source of organism and any other pertinent information, such as the growth rate of the organism.
Ambient: 2 weeks; Refrigerated: 2 weeks; Frozen: 2 weeks
Reference Interval
Complete identification of clinically significant isolates.
Interpretive Data
For identification by DNA sequencing and MALDI-TOF:
Laboratory Developed Test (LDT)
Note
If the isolate M. tuberculosis complex is to be speciated, enter this information in the comment field and ship Category A.
A processing fee will be billed for all organisms submitted that are not in pure culture, as indicated in specimen requirements.
Identification of AFB isolates is billed by individual tests performed.
Hotline History
CPT Codes
CPT codes for identification vary based on method.
Components
| Component Test Code* | Component Chart Name | LOINC |
|---|---|---|
| 0060999 | AFB Identification | 543-9 |
Aliases
- AFB identification by sequencing, 16S rRNA
- AFBSEQ
- M. tuberculosis identification
- MTBGP
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis Probe
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