Evaluation of amplified rDNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) for the identification of cultured mycobacteria in a diagnostic laboratory

Table 2 Distribution of the Mycobacterium species during 1998–2000 in the Ghent University Hospital, number of smear positives and time to positivity of culture.

Mycobacterium species	Number of isolates (%)	Number of samples positive on direct smear ^a (% of culture positive)	Average time until positive culture in days (smear positives; negatives)
M. tuberculosis complex	61 (40)	26 (46^b)	16.7 (12.9; 20)
M. avium	12	2	6.5
M. heckeshornense	1	1	32.5
M. chelonae	4	0	18
M. fortuitum	2	0	35.5
M. gordonae	41 (27)	1	22.3
M. interjectum	1	0	30.5
M. intracellulare	1	0	11.6
M. kansasii/M. gastri	2	0	No data
M. malmoense	1	0	No data
M. szulgai	3	0	20.3
M. xenopi	22 (15)	0	38.1
Total	151	40 (26)

^a: No data for 6 of the 61 samples. All six of these samples were M. tuberculosis culture positive. ^b. Calculated as 26 positives on a total of those 56 culture positives for which data on smear positivity were available.