Preliminary identification of mycobacteria isolated from clinical specimens.

From March 1979 to June 1980, we preliminary identified mycobacteria at the time of their initial isolation by colonial morphology, pigmentation, and growth rate. The definitive identifications were predicted accurately for 92% of the mycobacteria isolated from 108 patients. For laboratories that isolate relatively few different species of mycobacteria, the advantages of this approach are its simplicity and the speed with which presumptive identifications can be made available for clinical use.