Most samples that are submitted for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) testing are collected because the health practitioner suspects that a person has tuberculosis (TB), a lung infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mycobacteria are called acid-fast bacilli because they are a group of rod-shaped bacteria (bacilli) that can be seen under the microscope following a staining procedure where the bacteria retain the color of the stain after an acid wash (acid-fast). AFB laboratory tests detect the bacteria in a person's sample and help identify an infection caused by AFB.
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