title: Real time PCR in childhood tuberculosis: a valuable diagnostic tool.
abstract: The present study was conducted to detect and quantitate Mycobacterium tuberculosis from various body fluid specimens of cases of tuberculosis by real time PCR technique and compare results with conventional PCR technique and culture. One hundred fifteen children (<18 y) with tuberculosis (diagnosed as per IAP guidelines) and 32 disease matched controls from the Department of Pediatrics, S.N. Medical College, Agra, were included in the study. Different body fluids (CSF, gastric aspirate, pleural fluid, ascitic fluid and lymph node aspirate) were subjected to culture, conventional PCR targeting insertion sequence 1S6110 and Real time PCR targeting 16srRNA of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Real time PCR showed significantly better results than culture in all body fluids (p < 0.05). It was superior to conventional PCR in CSF (p < 0.05) but showed comparable results in gastric aspirate, pleural fluid, ascitic fluid and lymph node aspirate (p > 0.05). Hence, real time PCR is a promising diagnostic tool for childhood tuberculosis, particularly tubercular meningitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, S.N. Medical College, Agra, 282002, India, R_dayal123@rediffmail.com.
authors.forename: Rajeshwar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dayal
authors.forename: Haripal
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kashyap
authors.forename: Gajanand
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pounikar
authors.forename: Raj
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kamal
authors.forename: Neeraj Kumar
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.forename: Manoj Kumar
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Devendra Singh
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.forename: Ankur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goyal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000032:analysis*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S