Afb Detection Of Dna Pcr Pleural Fluid

Pleural tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis often requires invasive procedures such as pleural biopsy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the IS6110 sequence of M. tuberculosis in pleural fluid specimens as a rapid and non-invasive test for pleural TB diagnosis. The real-time PCR test improved TB detection from 30.6% to 42.9% when compared to AFB smear and culture methods performed on pleural fluid specimens, although the best sensitivity was achieved by combining the results of culture and histopathology of pleural tissue specimens. The nonspecific clinical presentation and paucibacillary nature of tuberculous pleuritis remains a challenge for diagnosis. Diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion depends on the demonstration of the presence of tubercle bacilli in the sputum, pleural fluid, or pleural biopsy specimen, or demonstration of granuloma in pleura by histological examination. We examined the clinical utility of the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis using the in house N-PCR assay, AFB smear microscopy and culture. Besides pleural fluid the inclusion of sputum in the efficacy of diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis was scrutinized. Nucleic acid amplification assays allow the direct detection of M. tuberculosis in clinical specimens within hours of their receipt in the laboratory, providing a potential tool for diagnosing paucibacillary forms of TB. Although the role of nucleic acid amplification tests has been reasonably well defined in pulmonary tuberculosis, their place in pleurisy evaluation is not clear. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technology that has advantages over conventional PCR testing, such as the fast availability of results, decreased risk of contamination and quantification of bacterial load.