Sputum Test

Samples of sputum, phlegm coughed up from the lungs, can be tested for the bacteria that cause tuberculosis. For this test, you will collect sputum from a deep cough first thing in the morning and bring it to the hospital or doctor's office. A lab technician will smear a sample of your phlegm onto a glass slide and add a special stain that will make any TB-causing bacteria show up under a microscope.

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This technique can also determine which drugs will be most effective in treating tuberculosis. For this, the organisms are sent to a special lab that can grow them, definitively identify them, and determine which medications they are susceptible to. Because the bacteria that cause tuberculosis grow slowly, this can take several weeks. The results will help your doctor treat your TB infection. (Many strains of the bacteria that cause TB are resistant to one or more drugs used to treat the disease.)

If you are unable to cough up sputum, it may be necessary to obtain a specimen with a bronchoscope or isolate the bacteria from the stomach or other locations. Children with active TB often do not produce sputum. For these children, it may be necessary to make treatment decisions based on collecting and growing bacteria from the person who infected the child.