Rate of Sterilization of Sputum from Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis

In 1973 , as part of a study to evaluate the usefulness of a procedure developed by us for precise microscopic enumeration of acid-fast bacilli in the sputum of patients with pulmonary tuber­culosis, the number of culturable mycobacterial cell units per ml. of sputum was determined in 28 patients before and during chemo­therapy. The data obtained clearly showed, perhaps for the first time, that there is a very significant decrease in the acid-fast burden, at least in some patients, during the first two weeks of treatment. The data further suggested that quantitation of the culturable mycobacterial burden might well provide a useful mech­anism for comparison of chemotherapeutic drug regimens. The present study was prompted by these observations.