Acid-fast bacilli detected in umbilical codes and skins of human at cases of surgical operation.

Acid-fast bacilli were detected in 13 (27%) of 49 skin samples in surgical operation under the procedures of collection of bacilli by centrifuging the filtrate of tissue homogenate through adsorbent cotton. Ten specimens (20%) contained cultivable organisms, including M. simiae (9 specimens) and M. gordonae (one specimen). The other 3 specimens did not contain any cultivable organism, although microscopic observation revealed the presence of acid-fast bacilli. Eight (17%) of 48 raw umbilical codes of babies received Cesarian operation were positive for acid-fast bacilli in the smear preparation. Six (13%) were positive in cultivation and the organisms were identified as M. simiae (4 cases), M. scrofulaceum (1 case) and M. avium-complex (1 case). The remaining two specimens were negative in cultivable bacteria in spite of obvious presence of acid-fast bacilli. In the case of frozen umbilical codes, 9 specimens (16%) were positive in acid-fast bacilli, only 3 cases of which were positive in cultivable organisms, including M. gordonae (2 cases) and M. scrofulaceum (one case). M. simiae was not detected in cultivation of frozen materials. The purpose of this experiment was to isolate the microscopically detectable but uncultivable acid-fast bacilli, using experimental infection system induced in nude mouse. However, two experiments separately performed failed to achieve this purpose, because of contamination of the cultivable acid-fast bacilli among mice or death of the organisms during storage.