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Diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis: a comparative analysis of 3 immunoassays, an immune complex assay and the polymerase chain reaction

Miörner, Håkan LU ; Sjöbring, U ; Nayak, P and Chandramuki, A (1995) In Tubercle and Lung Disease 76(5). p.381-386
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare 3 immunoassays, an immune complex assay, and an application of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). MATERIAL: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 33 patients with TBM and from 34 control patients with infectious and non-infectious CNS diseases was analysed. RESULTS: The antibody immunoassays were either nonspecific or insensitive. However, detection of mycobacterial IgG immune complexes correlated strongly with infection, as they were detected in the CSF from 64% of the patients with TBM compared to only 3 (9%) of the control samples. PCR analysis, using Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific oligonucleotide primers, also strongly correlated with infection, as DNA was... (More)
OBJECTIVE: To compare 3 immunoassays, an immune complex assay, and an application of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). MATERIAL: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 33 patients with TBM and from 34 control patients with infectious and non-infectious CNS diseases was analysed. RESULTS: The antibody immunoassays were either nonspecific or insensitive. However, detection of mycobacterial IgG immune complexes correlated strongly with infection, as they were detected in the CSF from 64% of the patients with TBM compared to only 3 (9%) of the control samples. PCR analysis, using Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific oligonucleotide primers, also strongly correlated with infection, as DNA was amplified from 54% of the samples from patients with TBM, but from only 2 (6%) of the control samples. Both 'false positive' samples were also positive in the immune complex assay and came from 2 patients with otogenic brain abscesses. It is conceivable that these patients suffered from otogenic tuberculosis with secondary non-mycobacterial meningitis. When combining the immune complex assay with DNA-detection by PCR, 100% of the culture positive and 74% of culture negative samples were found to be positive, while maintaining a high specificity. CONCLUSION: Parallel analysis to detect mycobacterial immune complexes and M. tuberculosis-specific DNA by PCR from the CSF of patients may offer a sensitive and specific tool for the diagnosis of TBM. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Tubercle and Lung Disease
volume
76
issue
5
pages
381 - 386
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:7495997
  • scopus:0028874470
ISSN
0962-8479
DOI
10.1016/0962-8479(95)90002-0
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
298d27e9-79c4-4973-af6b-f8281edc22de (old id 1109259)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:48:20
date last changed
2021-01-03 05:38:42
@article{298d27e9-79c4-4973-af6b-f8281edc22de,
  abstract     = {{OBJECTIVE: To compare 3 immunoassays, an immune complex assay, and an application of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). MATERIAL: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 33 patients with TBM and from 34 control patients with infectious and non-infectious CNS diseases was analysed. RESULTS: The antibody immunoassays were either nonspecific or insensitive. However, detection of mycobacterial IgG immune complexes correlated strongly with infection, as they were detected in the CSF from 64% of the patients with TBM compared to only 3 (9%) of the control samples. PCR analysis, using Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific oligonucleotide primers, also strongly correlated with infection, as DNA was amplified from 54% of the samples from patients with TBM, but from only 2 (6%) of the control samples. Both 'false positive' samples were also positive in the immune complex assay and came from 2 patients with otogenic brain abscesses. It is conceivable that these patients suffered from otogenic tuberculosis with secondary non-mycobacterial meningitis. When combining the immune complex assay with DNA-detection by PCR, 100% of the culture positive and 74% of culture negative samples were found to be positive, while maintaining a high specificity. CONCLUSION: Parallel analysis to detect mycobacterial immune complexes and M. tuberculosis-specific DNA by PCR from the CSF of patients may offer a sensitive and specific tool for the diagnosis of TBM.}},
  author       = {{Miörner, Håkan and Sjöbring, U and Nayak, P and Chandramuki, A}},
  issn         = {{0962-8479}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{381--386}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Tubercle and Lung Disease}},
  title        = {{Diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis: a comparative analysis of 3 immunoassays, an immune complex assay and the polymerase chain reaction}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0962-8479(95)90002-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/0962-8479(95)90002-0}},
  volume       = {{76}},
  year         = {{1995}},
}