GROWTH-ENHANCING MEDIA FOR MYCOBACTERIA

摘要

This invention provides a method for enhancing the growth of acid-fast microorganisms in culture comprising growing the acid-fast microorganisms in the presence of an aliphatic organic acid of 8-10 carbon atoms. The diagnosi s of tuberculosis and many other mycobacterial diseases has been hampered by t he slow growth of these organisms using currently available culture methods. Th e addition of octanoic acid to currently available agar and broth media formulations utilized for the cultivation of pathogenic mycobacteria results in a marked reduction in generation time with an increase in growth yield. T he growth promoting activity of octanoic acid offers the potential for significantly more rapid diagnosis, and treatment of these diseases.