Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Apr. 1997, p. 1013-1015
0095-1137/97/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1997, American Society for Microbiology		 Vol. 35, No. 4
Impact of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Epidemic on Detection of Mycobacterium Isolates in a General Hospital
Emilio Bouza,1 Javier Albadalejo,1 Emilia Cercenado,1 M. Jesús Ruiz Serrano,1 Teresa Vicente,1 and Arturo Ortega2
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital General Universitario "Gregorio Marañón,"1 and Laboratorio de Micobacterias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III,2 Madrid, Spain 
Received 26 June 1996/Returned for modification 14 September 1996/Accepted 4 January 1997

The number of human samples processed in our mycobacteriology laboratory ranged from 148 per 1,000 admissions in 1988 to 263 per 1,000 admissions in 1995 (5.2% were positive). The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive population contributed 33.3% of all samples, 43.3% of all isolates, and 36% of all new patients. Given that the ratios of the total number of samples to the number of Mycobacterium-positive samples were 18.3:1 in HIV-positive patients and 28:1 in HIV-negative patients, efforts to reduce the laboratory workload should begin with the HIV-negative population.