Detection of rapidly growing mycobacteria in routine cultures of samples from patients with cystic fibrosis.

Rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) are respiratory pathogens in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), but detection generally requires specialized cultures for acid-fast bacilli (AFB; AFB cultures). We determined that RGM could be recovered from routine cultures of samples from patients with CF by extending incubation of the Burkholderia cepacia selective agar (BCSA) from 5 to 14 days. To explore the impact of this modification, we compared results from routine and AFB cultures of samples from CF patients for 2 years before (4,212 samples by routine culture, 1,810 samples by AFB culture, 670 patients) and 2 years after (4,720 samples by routine culture, 2,179 samples by AFB culture, 695 patients) the change. Clinical relevance was assessed with samples from a subgroup of 340 patients followed regularly throughout both periods. Extending incubation of BCSA enhanced RGM recovery from routine cultures (0.7% before, 2.8% after; P < 0.001); recovery from AFB cultures was unchanged (5.5% before, 5.7% after). Estimates of RGM detection sensitivity by culture or patient-based methods ranged from ∼65 to 75% for routine cultures (nonsignificantly lower than the ∼80 to 85% for AFB cultures) and were adversely affected by coculture with mold or nonpseudomonal, nonfermenting Gram-negative rods. In the after period, 16 CF patients met the criteria for RGM infection by routine culture, including 4 who did not meet the criteria for RGM infection by AFB culture. We conclude that a simple methodological change enhanced recovery of RGM from routine cultures. The modified culture method could be utilized to improve screening for RGM in CF patients or as a simpler method to follow patients with known RGM infection. However, this method should be used cautiously in patients with certain coinfections.