Case Reports in Clinical Practice (Jan 2021)

A Blind Smear From LJ Medium Revealing Pseudomonas aeruginosa Talus Osteomyelits Afer Seeking for Osteotuberculosis in a 13-Year-Old Teenager: A Case Report

  • Nasim Eftekhari,
  • Reza Rezaeizadeh,
  • Shayan Shahabinejad

DOI
https://doi.org/10.18502/crcp.v5i4.5058
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 4

Abstract

Read online

The Lowenstein-Jensen is an egg-based microbiology medium that was designed for selective isolation of Mycobacterium spp. The main inhibitory composition in this medium is a synthetic dye called malachite green. Mycobacterium spp. is resistant to the dye by de-colorization and oxidation of it. Some non-tuberculosis organisms may also overcome this inhibitory ingredient by similar enzymatic activity. In the final inspection of the bone TB culture of a teenage patient, the blind smear revealed the Pseudomonas talus osteomyelitis. According to the present and similar experiences, the preparation of 1-2 blind smears from TB culture- negative specimens taken from sterile sites of the body may unmask mycobacteria with the atypical colony and non-tuberculosis microorganisms.

Keywords