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Evaluation of polymerase chain reaction, tuberculostearic acid analysis, and direct microscopy for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum

Savic, B ; Sjöbring, Ulf LU ; Alugupalli, S ; Larsson, L and Miörner, Håkan LU (1992) In Journal of Infectious Diseases 166(5). p.1177-1180
Abstract
Tuberculosis remains a major global cause of morbidity and mortality. There is an urgent need for improved bacteriologic diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Three methods for rapid identification of M. tuberculosis in sputum samples (direct microscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry [GC-MS], and polymerase chain reaction [PCR]), were compared with culture on Lowenstein-Jensen medium. Growth of M. tuberculosis was observed in 38 of 145 sputum samples. Detection of acid-fast bacilli by direct microscopy gave a sensitivity of 66% and a specificity of 100%. Detection of tuberculostearic acid by GC-MS gave a sensitivity of 55% and a specificity of 87%. Amplification by PCR of a fragment of the insertion sequence IS6110 gave... (More)
Tuberculosis remains a major global cause of morbidity and mortality. There is an urgent need for improved bacteriologic diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Three methods for rapid identification of M. tuberculosis in sputum samples (direct microscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry [GC-MS], and polymerase chain reaction [PCR]), were compared with culture on Lowenstein-Jensen medium. Growth of M. tuberculosis was observed in 38 of 145 sputum samples. Detection of acid-fast bacilli by direct microscopy gave a sensitivity of 66% and a specificity of 100%. Detection of tuberculostearic acid by GC-MS gave a sensitivity of 55% and a specificity of 87%. Amplification by PCR of a fragment of the insertion sequence IS6110 gave a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 93% compared with culture and a corrected specificity of 99% compared with both culture and clinical data. This study indicates that PCR can be adapted for clinical use and is the method of choice for rapid diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Infectious Diseases
volume
166
issue
5
pages
1177 - 1180
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • pmid:1402031
  • scopus:0026687809
ISSN
1537-6613
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
8ddedbd1-3d5b-4a89-9631-a6ec0e815f06 (old id 1106536)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 17:06:50
date last changed
2021-01-03 09:36:46
@article{8ddedbd1-3d5b-4a89-9631-a6ec0e815f06,
  abstract     = {{Tuberculosis remains a major global cause of morbidity and mortality. There is an urgent need for improved bacteriologic diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Three methods for rapid identification of M. tuberculosis in sputum samples (direct microscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry [GC-MS], and polymerase chain reaction [PCR]), were compared with culture on Lowenstein-Jensen medium. Growth of M. tuberculosis was observed in 38 of 145 sputum samples. Detection of acid-fast bacilli by direct microscopy gave a sensitivity of 66% and a specificity of 100%. Detection of tuberculostearic acid by GC-MS gave a sensitivity of 55% and a specificity of 87%. Amplification by PCR of a fragment of the insertion sequence IS6110 gave a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 93% compared with culture and a corrected specificity of 99% compared with both culture and clinical data. This study indicates that PCR can be adapted for clinical use and is the method of choice for rapid diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.}},
  author       = {{Savic, B and Sjöbring, Ulf and Alugupalli, S and Larsson, L and Miörner, Håkan}},
  issn         = {{1537-6613}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{1177--1180}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Journal of Infectious Diseases}},
  title        = {{Evaluation of polymerase chain reaction, tuberculostearic acid analysis, and direct microscopy for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum}},
  volume       = {{166}},
  year         = {{1992}},
}