title: Sensitivity of Ziehl-Neelsen method for centrifuged deposit smears of sputum samples transported in cetyl-pyridinium chloride.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sensitivity of Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) method is known to be low for liquefied sputum smears. Information on the ZN sensitivity for centrifuged deposit smears is not known. This study was carried out to determine the sensitivity of ZN method for acid fast bacilli (AFB) in centrifuged deposit smears and liquefied sputum smears made from sputum samples transported in cetyl-pyridinium chloride (CPC) solution.
  
  
  METHODS
  Liquefied sputum smears and the corresponding centrifuged deposit smears from each of the 607 consecutive sputum samples collected from tuberculosis patients admitted to receive treatment transported in CPC were read by the same readers and their results compared with culture results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significantly (P<0.001) higher proportion of samples were positive in centrifuged deposit smears (40%) compared to liquefied sputum smears (30%). The results of 341 culture-positive specimens revealed that the sensitivity of ZN method was 47 per cent using liquefied sputum smears and 63 per cent using centrifuged deposit smears (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrated that the sensitivity of ZN method for AFB in centrifuged deposit smears and liquefied sputum smears was reduced if sputum samples are transported in CPC solution.
authors.affiliation: Tuberculosis Research Centre (ICMR), Chennai, India.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Selvakumar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gomathi Sekar
authors.forename: Vanaja
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: D Vijaya
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Bhaskar Rao
authors.forename: Fathima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Narayanan
mesh_terms: D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002498:Centrifugation; D002594:Cetylpyridinium; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D002594:Cetylpyridinium