Euro Biotechnology 2018: BACTEC MGIT 960 system and classic Lowenstein-Jensen culture in the diagnosis and drug susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from pulmonary specimens, at the Pasteur Institute of Algeria- Ferhat Djoudi- AlgeriaPasteur Institute of Algeria

Tuberculosis is a very old infectious disease. The etiological agent of this pathology, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, was discovered in the 19th century by Robert Koch. The tubercle bacilli infected the first hominids and co-evolved with theme. This infection usually begins with inhalation of contaminated droplets emitted by ill individuals, with a very low minimum infective dose, ranging from 1 to 10 bacilli. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly one-third of the world’s population is infected with tubercle bacilli. In 2015, 87% of new cases occurred in 30 countries with high TB burden. Six countries accounted for 60% of new cases: India, Indonesia, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa. The incidence of this disease has declined by an average of 1.5% per year since 2000 and the evolution of its diagnosis and treatment saved 49 million lives between 2000 and 2015. Control of the disease begins with the identification of M. tuberculosis and the development of detection tools, including X-rays and tuberculin test. Aim of the Study The aim of this study is to verify the contribution of BACTEC MGIT 960 in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, compared to classic culture on L-J medium, at the Tuberculosis and Mycobacteria unit in Pasteur Institute of Algeria. ？ Material & Methods: Setting & Ethical Considerations: The laboratory of tuberculosis and mycobacteria at Pasteur Institute of Algiers (IPA) occupies a key place in the fight against tuberculosis in Algeria, in addition to being the national reference laboratory for the diagnosis and anti-tuberculosis drug testing, it is implicated in supervision, monitoring and reporting results across the entire network of national laboratories involved in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. It is also a supranational laboratory cooperating with WHO for the Africa region. Oral consents were obtained from all patients prior to specimen’s collection, and ethical considerations were taken into account during all steps of the study. The patient’s data and results were maintained in secure database. Materials and procedures ？ Three types of pulmonary samples were included in the study: expectoration, gastric tubing and bronchial aspiration. The collection of these samples was done in clean spittoons. Each sample sent to the laboratory was accompanied with information sheet of the patient. The samples were stored at + 4°C and Z-N staining were directly performed. Poly-microbial samples subjected to prior decontamination before they were cultured, and Petroff’s decontamination technique was