Comparative testing of disinfectants against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium terrae in a quantitative suspension test.

In order to establish a quantitative suspension test to assess the tuberculocidal activity of disinfectants, comparative tests were carried out with a variant of the Dutch Standard Suspension Test using Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium terrae as the test organisms. The results indicate that both species have a similar susceptibility towards disinfectants. Because of this and since M. terrae is a relatively fast growing organism with a low pathogenic potential, it is recommended that this species be used for determining the tuberculocidal potential of new products.