Combination of molecular assay and clinical evaluation for early confirmation of tuberculosis cases.
The cost-effectiveness of the ProbeTec ET Direct TB assay (DTB) was compared with that of culture for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in 361 acid-fast stain-positive respiratory specimens. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of DTB were 97.7%, 86.6%, 87.2% and 97.6%, respectively. When clinical evaluation was added to DTB, the specificity and positive predictive value of DTB increased to 94.7% and 95.4%, respectively. Treatment costs of $133,521 would have been saved in this cohort if DTB, instead of culture results, had been used to eliminate 'false-positive' smear results.
Tu
H-Z
HZ
Department of Microbiology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Chen
Y-S
YS
Lin
Y E
YE
Tseng
M-R
MR
Huang
T-S
TS
Tsai
H-C
HC
Liu
Y-C
YC
D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006801:Humans; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic / Q000191:economics*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology
D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic