The analyses of 3479 sputum specimens of acid-fast bacillus of pulmonary tuberculosis patients

Objective To explore the possible factors on the determination of acid-fast bacillus from sputum specimens of pulmonary tuberculosis patients.Methods The sputum specimens were dyed with the Ziehl-Neelsen anti-acid dyeing method, and the data were retrospectively analyzed.Results In 3479 strains from sputum specimens of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, 829 strains were positive, with the positive rate of 23.8%. The types of sputum and the time the sputum was collected had a great influence on the positive rate of acid-fast bacillus.Conclusion The quality of sputum should be improved with an emphasis on its quality and the collection time in the morning.