Quantitative Studies of Mycobacterial Populations in Sputum and Saliva1, 2

Abstract

In the past, quantitative bacteriology was of some value in the clinical management of tuberculosis (1, 2), but interest in this subject has waned markedly in the era of effective chemotherapy. The present increasing importance of quantitative bacteriology in other infectious diseases, such as pyelonephritis (3), and in non tuberculous respiratory disease (4), and the availability of an effective method for enumeration of culturable tubercle bacilli (5) prompted this study in patients with pulmonary mycobacterial infections. Serial enumeration of culturable tubercle bacilli in sputum and saliva was initiated prior to chemotherapy and performed during chemotherapy through sputum conversion. 4