title: Polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis. Preliminary report.
abstract: In this preliminary report the results of PCR for detection of DNA sequences (65 KDa antigen) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in CSF samples from 20 patients are registered. In 10 patients there were clinical and laboratory findings suggesting the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (test group). In the other 10 patients, clinical and laboratory findings suggested meningitis or meningo-encephalitis from other etiologies (control group). In 7 patients from the test group antigenic DNA sequences of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were found in CSF by PCR; positive results were not registered in the control group.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Livramento
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Bydlowski
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bendit
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Bravo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spina-França
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014390:Tuberculosis, Meningeal / Q000175:diagnosis*