title: Low sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction for diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis in southeastern Brazil.
abstract: Two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocols showed low sensitivity (36% and 53% for TB AMPLICOR and MPB64 nested PCR, respectively), when compared with classic microbiological methods (73% and 54% for Ziehl-Neelsen staining and culture, respectively), in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis in 91 patients in southeastern Brazil. Only three PCR-positive, microbiologically negative patients were found. Analysis of sequential cerebrospinal fluid samples by nested PCR detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA up to 29 days after the introduction of antituberculosis chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, SP.
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Brienze
authors.lastname: Tonon AP
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Liso
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Tognola
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.forename: M U
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014390:Tuberculosis, Meningeal / Q000175:diagnosis*