title: PCR can help early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.
abstract: One hundred and fifty-one patients, clinically suspected for pulmonary tuberculosis (age: 31 +/- 13 years, male/female: 112/39), were investigated to evaluate the diagnostic potential of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in sputum. The diagnostic efficacy of PCR was compared with culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis on egg-based Lowenstein-Jensen modified medium. PCR detected 71.5% (108/151), whereas culture detected 66.2% (100/151) of the clinically suspected patients. There was a significant association between the results of PCR and culture (chi2 = 59.524, p < 0.001). However, 23.2% (35/151) samples were found negative in both culture and PCR. Considering culture as the gold standard, the sensitivity of the PCR was 92%. and its specificity 70%. This lower apparent specificity may be due to the higher sensitivity of PCR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDEM), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: M A K
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Parvez
authors.forename: Kazi Nadim
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Hasan
authors.forename: M A K
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rumi
authors.forename: Sohel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salimullah
authors.forename: Yeasmin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tahera
authors.forename: Donald James
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Farida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huq
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hassan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology