title: Direct identification of mycobacteria from smear-positive samples using real-time polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has a low identification rate for samples with low acid-fast bacilli (AFB) grades, including those obtained using bronchoscopy. When 50 smear-positive samples were compared by AFB score and PCR result, PCR was 100% successful in identifying AFB 2+ and AFB 3+ samples. However, only 14 of 26 (52%) AFB 1+ samples were identified. In paucibacillary smear-positive samples, PCR is not reliable enough to exclude tuberculosis, but in smear-positive patients with high AFB grades PCR can immediately change the clinical management of the disease.
authors.affiliation: <label>*</label>School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mareković
authors.affiliation: <label><sup>†</sup></label>Department of Clinical and Molecular Microbiology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bošnjak
authors.affiliation: <label>*</label>School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Plečko
mesh_terms: D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology