Editing Tuberculosis (section)

=== Microbiological studies ===
[[File:TB_Culture.jpg|thumb|A close-up of ''[[Mycobacterium tuberculosis]]'' in a culture medium]]
A definitive diagnosis of tuberculosis can be made by detecting ''[[Mycobacterium tuberculosis]]'' organisms in a specimen taken from the patient (most often [[sputum]], but may also be [[pus]], [[cerebrospinal fluid]], [[Biopsy|biopsied]] tissue, etc.).<ref>{{Citation |last1=Tobin |first1=Ellis H. |title=Tuberculosis Overview |date=22 December 2024 |work=StatPearls |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441916/ |access-date=2025-03-27 |place=Treasure Island (FL) |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |pmid=28722945 |last2=Tristram |first2=Debbie}}</ref> The specimen is examined by [[fluorescence microscopy]].<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Steingart KR, Henry M, Ng V, Hopewell PC, Ramsay A, Cunningham J, Urbanczik R, Perkins M, Aziz MA, Pai M |date=September 2006 |title=Fluorescence versus conventional sputum smear microscopy for tuberculosis: a systematic review |journal=The Lancet. Infectious Diseases |volume=6 |issue=9 |pages=570–81 |doi=10.1016/S1473-3099(06)70578-3 |pmid=16931408}}</ref> The bacterium is slow growing so a cell culture may take several weeks to yield a result.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Acid-Fast Bacillus (AFB) Tests |url=https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/acid-fast-bacillus-afb-tests/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=MedlinePlus |language=en}}</ref>