National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (formerly Tuberculosis Research Centre, Chennai, India) has shown that sputum samples stored up to 28 days at ambient conditions (25-40 C) yield smear positivity similiar to day 0 positivity. Subsecuently seveal studies using cetylpyridinium chloride as a preservative for sputum samples also showed that the smear positivity was not affected upon storage for upto 7 to 10 days.