A study of 31 patients with Mycobacterium infection was performed. The results of Ziehl-Neelsen(ZN) and auramine-rhodamine(AR) staining techniques were compared with the results of cultures. This study demonstrates that the AR method is more sensitive than the ZN method, but they complement each other and when used in combination allow fast and reliable screening for organisms. The culture is important for classification of Mycobacterium species and drug susceptibility testing.