title: Polymerase chain reaction for assessing treatment response in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.
abstract: The use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for assessing treatment response in tuberculosis was investigated. Serial sputum samples were analyzed from 10 Tanzanian patients treated for smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis, including 4 who relapsed after initially successful treatment. A one-tube nested PCR with a colorimetric detection system was compared with microscopy and culture. Samples were found to be negative by microscopy before they were by PCR or culture, often remaining positive 1-2 months longer by PCR than by culture. For the 76 samples available for both culture and PCR, there was a 76% (58/76) agreement between the methods. Nine samples were negative by culture but positive by PCR; 7 were either negative (5) or equivocal (2) by PCR despite being positive by culture. Two of the 4 relapse cases were detected earlier by PCR than by culture. These results demonstrate that PCR is a promising method for assessing treatment response in pulmonary tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Communicable Diseases, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Gillespie
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Saruni
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kisyombe
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McNerney
authors.forename: F I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Ngowi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003124:Colorimetry / Q000379:methods; D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology*; D013636:Tanzania; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial