title: Comparison of scanty AFB smears against culture in an area with high HIV prevalence.
abstract: To verify among tuberculosis (TB) suspects attending hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria, if sputum smears graded as scanty are false-positive, sputum smears from 1068 patients were graded with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease classification. One specimen was cultured. Eight hundred and twenty-four (26%) smears were positive, 137 (4%) scanty and 2243 negative. Of 1068 cultures, 680 (64%) were positive. One hundred and thirty (95%) scanty and 809 (98%) positive smears were culture-positive. Twelve of 18 patients with a single scanty smear and 51 of 52 with > or = 2 scanty smears were culture-positive. Fewer than < 5% scanty results, < 1% of the patients treated for TB, are false-positive.
authors.affiliation: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Yassin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramsay
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Emenyonu
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Squire
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Cuevas
mesh_terms: D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D009549:Nigeria; D015995:Prevalence; D011786:Quality Control; D013048:Specimen Handling; D013183:Sputum / Q000166:cytology*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology