Bacteriology and drug susceptibility of tuberculosis at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne 1962-1991.

Abstract

39,000 specimens were examined for the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis over a 27-year period (1962-1989) at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne. The culture positive rate was 2.0% overall but was as high as 3.5% for tissue specimens and less than 1% for specimens of pleural fluid. There were 329 culture positive patients over a 29-year period (1962-1991) of whom 34 (10.5%) yielded an isolate resistant to at least one anti-tuberculosis drug and 19 (5.8%) were resistant to isoniazid. An overall increase in the rate of drug resistance together with important ethnic group differences were noted.