Effect of time duration of digestion/decontamination technique on yield of mycobacteria and contamination rates from sterile body fluids (pleural and ascitic fluid) and pus specimens

In areas where specimen delay is common and sterility of collection procedure cannot be ensured, digestion/decontamination with NaOH-NALC for up to 20min can reduce contamination rates without considerably compromising mycobacterial culture yield. However, one should be alert to the possibility of decreased viability, and culture should be supplemented with molecular methods.