title: Diagnosis of tuberculosis by detection of mycobacterial antigen in pleural effusions and ascites.
abstract: We describe a method for the diagnosis of pleural and peritoneal tuberculosis by the detection of tuberculous antigens using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Eleven tuberculous pleural fluid and 10 tuberculous ascitic fluid samples were studied by this technique, using 10 non-tuberculous pleural fluid and 14 non-tuberculous ascitic fluid samples as controls. An absorbance value of 0.3 was found to separate the tuberculous groups from their controls to a statistically significant extent (ascitic fluid P less than 0.05; pleural fluid P less than 0.01).
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Baig
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Pettengell
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Simjee
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sathar
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Vorster
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D001201:Ascites / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*; D014395:Peritonitis, Tuberculous / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000276:immunology*; D014396:Tuberculosis, Pleural / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial