Acid-fast (Mycobacterial) Smear and Culture with Reflex to Identification

Test Code

183753

Alias/See Also

"Blood Mycobacteria Culture, Culture, Acid-Fast (Sputum, Tissue, Urine, and Gastric Contents), Culture, Blood, Mycobacteria, Mycobacteria Culture (Sputum, Tissue, Urine, and Gastric Contents)

"

CPT Codes
87116, 87206

Preferred Specimen

First morning sputum (not saliva) (three separate specimens from three separate days are recommended), fasting gastric aspirate, induced sputum, whole blood, tissue, biopsy, bronchial aspirate, urine, skin, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), bone marrow, body flu

Minimum Volume

5 mL sputum or respiratory aspirate, 10 mL whole blood, 2 cm3 tissue, 5 mL CSF, 5 cc bone marrow (or as much as possible), 50 mL body fluid (eg, gastric aspirate/lavage, urine, pleural, pericardial, chronic peritoneal dialysate), 10 mL stool, biopsy of sk

Transport Container

Sterile container with tight screw-cap seal or green-top (sodium heparin) tube or Isolator™

Transport Temperature

Refrigerate.

Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)

Inadequate quantity of specimen, including swab specimen without visible evidence of tissue present; specimen received in expired transport media or inappropriate transport device; specimen received after prolonged delay (usually >72 hours); specimen rece

Methodology
Concentrated smears are stained with auramine/rhodamine and read by fluorescence microscopy. Broth-based and/or agar-based culture. Culture is held for six weeks before negative is reported. Organisms are identified by use of DNA probes and/or nucleic acid sequencing.

The CPT Codes provided in this document are based on AMA guidelines and are for informational purposes only. CPT coding is the sole responsibility of the billing party. Please direct any questions regarding coding to the payor being billed. Any Profile/panel component may be ordered separately. Reflex tests are performed at an additional charge.