Smear microscopy and culture forms the backbone of tuberculosis (TB) laboratory investigations in tertiary healthcare facilities which have a large number of cases and financial constraints. The present study aimed to re-evaluate the efficiency of smear microscopy and culture on Lowenstein Jensen (LJ) medium for acid fast bacilli (AFB) isolated from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. 210 samples were processed for detection of AFB by Ziehl Neelsen (ZN) staining. Concentration method of N-acetly-L-cystein-NaOH was used and the samples were isolated on LJ medium. AFB was seen in 168 () primary smear samples. The primary smear missed 5 () samples that were.
