AFB Body Fluid Test in Kathmandu

About this test

When fluid abnormally collects in a body cavity — around the lungs (pleural effusion), in the abdomen (ascites), around the heart, in a joint, or in the spinal canal — one of the first questions your doctor must answer is whether tuberculosis is the cause. This test examines a drop of that fluid under the microscope after a special Ziehl-Neelsen (acid-fast) stain that makes the waxy-coated bacteria responsible for TB show up as slender pink rods against a blue background. A positive smear gives rapid, direct evidence of acid-fast bacilli, while a negative smear does not rule TB out, because these organisms are often scanty in fluid. In Nepal, where tuberculosis remains common, extrapulmonary TB frequently presents exactly this way: a young adult with weeks of low-grade fever, night sweats, weight loss and breathlessness from a one-sided pleural effusion, or a swollen abdomen from tuberculous peritonitis. Your doctor usually orders the AFB smear together with fluid cell counts, protein and glucose, ADA (adenosine deaminase), and increasingly a TB PCR (GeneXpert) and mycobacterial culture, since culture remains the most sensitive confirmation but takes weeks. The smear's value is speed — a result that can be available the next day, guiding early treatment decisions while culture is awaited. It is also used to monitor known TB patients and to investigate fluid that fails to settle with ordinary antibiotics. Interpreting it always needs the clinical picture and the other fluid findings alongside.

Sample type

Body fluid (pleural, peritoneal/ascitic, pericardial, synovial, or cerebrospinal fluid)

Preparation

No fasting needed. The fluid is collected by a doctor through a sterile tap (for example pleural fluid, ascitic fluid, or CSF). Send the freshest, largest possible volume to the lab quickly; tell us which body cavity it came from and whether you are already on anti-TB medicines.

Turnaround time

Reports for AFB Body Fluid are typically ready within: Next Day. Reports can be collected at the clinic during opening hours or shared via WhatsApp once they are ready.

Also known as

Other microbiology tests we run

These are routinely ordered alongside AFB Body Fluid or as part of the same diagnostic workup.

How to book

WhatsApp is the fastest way — message us with the test name and your preferred time, and we'll confirm a slot the same day. You can also walk into the clinic at Rumba Chowk, Sanobharang any day between 7AM and 8PM, or fill in our online booking form.