Diagnosing tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients: challenges and future prospects.
BACKGROUND
The lack of an effective diagnostic test for smear-negative tuberculosis (TB) is a major contributor to the death of HIV patients in countries with high burden of HIV/Mycobacterium tuberculosis co-infection.


OBJECTIVE
The prolonged incubation time of traditional culture techniques delays time to diagnosis and instigation of effective antituberculous therapy in those who are smear negative. In addition, the increased prevalence of extrapulmonary TB in HIV patients presents a particular diagnostic challenge in resource-poor settings.


CONCLUSIONS
This review highlights the challenges of diagnosing TB in patients with HIV and the recent advances in development of commonly used and novel diagnostic tests for TB.
Mendelson
Marc
M
Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. mmendels@curie.uct.ac.za
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002423:Cause of Death; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018450:Disease Progression; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology