Direct identification of mycobacteria from smear-positive samples using real-time polymerase chain reaction

I Mareković; Z Bošnjak; V Plečko

doi:10.5588/ijtld.13.0042

Direct identification of mycobacteria from smear-positive samples using real-time polymerase chain reaction

Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2014 Aug;18(8):978-80. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.13.0042.

Authors

I Mareković¹, Z Bošnjak², V Plečko¹

Affiliations

¹ <label>*</label>School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
² <label><sup>†</sup></label>Department of Clinical and Molecular Microbiology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.

PMID: 25199015
DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.13.0042

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has a low identification rate for samples with low acid-fast bacilli (AFB) grades, including those obtained using bronchoscopy. When 50 smear-positive samples were compared by AFB score and PCR result, PCR was 100% successful in identifying AFB 2+ and AFB 3+ samples. However, only 14 of 26 (52%) AFB 1+ samples were identified. In paucibacillary smear-positive samples, PCR is not reliable enough to exclude tuberculosis, but in smear-positive patients with high AFB grades PCR can immediately change the clinical management of the disease.

Publication types

Comparative Study

MeSH terms

Bacteriological Techniques
Humans
Mycobacterium tuberculosis / isolation & purification*
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
Reproducibility of Results
Retrospective Studies
Sputum / microbiology*
Tuberculosis / diagnosis*
Tuberculosis / microbiology