Comparison Of Decontamination Methods For Isolation Of Mycobacterium Species From The Environment

ABSTRACT The environment harbours many bacterial species, some of which include non-tuberculous mycobacteria which have recently become important in public health. Isolation of mycobacteria from the environment has not been easy because of the presence of other fast growing bacteria and fungi. For isolation of mycobacteria from the environment, decontamination methods that minimize contamination but maximize recovery of mycobacteria are needed. This study sought to compare three decontamination methods for isolation of mycobacteria from the environment. Sixty-five samples were collected from …