title: Improved serodiagnosis of tuberculosis using two assay test.
abstract: An antigen capture immunoassay was developed for the detection of mycobacterial antigens in sera from patients with tuberculosis. The assay was evaluated together with an antibody measuring enzyme immunoassay in a clinical trial for serodiagnosis of tuberculosis. Sensitivity of the antibody assay for active pulmonary tuberculosis, including relapsed infections, was 75%, and specificity with other lung diseases was 97%. Sensitivity for extrapulmonary tuberculosis was 84.5% and specificity 84%. Sensitivity of the antigen assay for active tuberculosis was 45% with no false positive reactions. Combination of the results from the two assays increased total sensitivity to 96.5% with a positive predictive value of 0.81 and a negative value of 0.98. The two assay test was relatively simple to perform and offered improved serological diagnosis of tuberculosis over a single antibody test.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000276:immunology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial