A sputum stain for Mycobacteria is a laboratory test performed on a sample of your sputum, or phlegm. It’s also known as an acid-fast bacillus (AFB) stain or a tuberculosis (TB) smear. A doctor ...

Tuberculosis can be tough to detect. Diagnosis usually requires coughing up a sputum sample from the lungs, which can be unpleasant, impractical, and even hazardous. But in a promising new study, a ...

What is a sputum Gram’s stain? A sputum Gram’s stain is a laboratory test that allows your doctor to diagnose a bacterial infection in your respiratory tract. They may order it if you have symptoms of ...

Background. Nucleic acid amplification tests are sensitive and specific for identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum smear–positive populations, but they are less sensitive in sputum ...