In a previous publication (1), we evaluated the Genotype MTBDR (GT-MTBDR; Hain Lifescience, Nehren, Germany) assay as a rapid diagnostic tool for multidrug resistance (MDR) detection in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates and clinical specimens. The main limitation of the test was the low sensitivity for isoniazid resistance detection (70%), due to the targeting of only one (katG) of the genes ...

rate of the algorithm of 39% (12 of 31) is somewhat misleading. This rate includes both patients for whom isolation was delayed for >24 hours (n=7) or not implemented (n=5) and does not differentiate by level of infectiousness. Of the 12 patients with pulmonary TB who were not placed in negative-pressure isolation rooms within 24 hours of admission to the MGH, 5 were AFB smear-positive, 6 were ...

PURPOSE To evaluate the diagnostic utility and predictors for determinate results of an enzyme-linked immunospot assay using induced sputum cells (IS ELISPOT) for a rapid diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). MATERIALS AND METHODS Subjects suspected of pulmonary TB who had either sputum acid fast bacilli smear-negative or not producing sputum spontaneously were prospectively enrolled. ELI...

Background: There are data about the relationship between morphologic findings on HRCT and the number of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) on sputum smears in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). It was also shown that existence of cavities and airspace consolidation might be related to smear positivity in PTB patients. However there is no study suggesting a relationship between AFB on sputum smea...

BACKGROUND Sputum smear microscopy for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis lacks sensitivity in HIV-infected symptomatic patients and increases the likelihood that mycobacterial infections particularly disseminated TB will be missed; delays in diagnosis can be fatal. Given the duration for MTB growth in blood culture, clinical predictors of MTB bacteremia may improve early diagnosis of mycobacteremia. ...

BACKGROUND There is great interest in reducing the number of automated complete blood counts requiring manual blood smear reviews without sacrificing the quality of patient care. This study was aimed at evaluating and establishing appropriate screening criteria for manual blood smear reviews to improve the performance in a hematology laboratory. METHOD A total of 1977 consecutive samples from...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES For further confirmation of the previous in-house real-time PCR and CYP 141 target as a rapid and cheap diagnostic technique and a new target for direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we evaluated and compared the results of smear, culture and real-time PCR in sputa that were collected from 2 health centers. Moreover we tried to evaluate the diagnostic accura...

The Cobas TaqMan MTB test, based on real-time PCR technology, was evaluated for direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) in respiratory specimens. A total of 1,093 samples from 446 patients, including 118 acid-fast smear-positive and 975 acid-fast smear-negative specimens, were investigated. Diagnostic cultures performed with 7H11 agar, Löwenstein-Jensen medium, and the Bac...

In Denmark, treatment of tuberculosis is generally recommended only if the diagnosis is confirmed bacteriologically. This policy may cause a delay in treatment, if the patients are smear negative. We investigated the duration of the treatment delay, and whether the delay would cause any serious health problems for the individual, or risk of contact infections, in a retrospective examination of ...

The performance of the BDProbeTec ET system (BD Biosciences, Sparks, Md.) for direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) in respiratory specimens was evaluated by comparing results to those of conventional mycobacterial culture performed with the BACTEC 460 TB system and Middlebrook 7H11 biplates. Patients known to have been on antituberculous therapy were excluded from the a...