P62 Are we missing opportunities to obtain a microbiological diagnosis of TB

Introduction TB incidence is rising in the UK, with drug resistance becoming increasingly problematic. Diagnosis with microbiological culture and confirmation of sensitivity is therefore vital. This study investigated how often we are not achieving microbiological diagnosis at our centre, what factors influence this and whether opportunities to obtain microbiological samples were missed. Methods A retrospective study of all 156 cases (adult and paediatric) diagnosed with TB at Central Manchester Teaching Hospitals in 2009 was carried out. Demographic details, site of disease, types of specimens and results of TB culture were recorded. Cases where there were no specimens or cultures were negative were analyzed in detail. Results Most disease was pulmonary (n=69). Other disease sites included lymph node (n=34), ocular (n=12) and pleura (n=10). 128 (82%) patients had samples sent for microbiology. 92 (59%) patients were culture positive and 36 (23%) were culture negative. 28 (18%) patients had no specimens sent for culture. Factors which were associated with whether samples were sent for culture included site of disease (p Conclusion In our centre, despite a microbiology negative rate of 41%, reasonable opportunities to obtain a microbiological diagnosis are seldom missed.