Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Shortening isolation of patients with suspected tuberculosis by using polymerase chain reaction analysis: A nationwide cross-sectional study
Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 61, No. 9, Year 2015
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Background.Isolation of patients suspected for pulmonary tuberculosis is guided by serial sputum smears. This can result in isolation for days for patients with noncontagious tuberculosis. To determine whether a single sample negative for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex at polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can guide isolation. Methods.We retrospectively evaluated sputum samples analyzed for M. tuberculosis complex at the International Reference Laboratory of Mycobacteriology, Copenhagen, Denmark in 2002-2011. We selected culture-confirmed tuberculosis cases with ≥3 samples within 14 days before or after the initial culture-positive sample. We repeated the process for those with ≥2 samples within 28 days. The primary outcome was PCR-negative, smear-positive patients. Results.We included 53 533 sputum samples from 20 928 individuals; 1636 had culture-confirmed tuberculosis. Of these, 856 had ≥3 sputum samples analyzed within the 28 days, and 482 had ≥1 PCR result. Nine patients (2.5% of smear-positive patients) were smear positive/PCR negative; 8 of the 9 had a smear-positive result in only 1 of 3 samples, and 5 had a low smear grade. Of 722 patients with 2 samples, 7 (1.3% of smear-positive patients) were smear positive/PCR negative. Overall, none were smear positive for the sample that produced the negative PCR result. Conclusions.Primary PCR identified >97% of serial smear-positive cases. The majority of the missed cases had low-grade smears. Nevertheless, the occurrence of smear-positive/PCR-negative cases underlines the importance of increasing the quantity and quality of samples. Moreover, it is important that samples analyzed with PCR are cultured, owing to higher-sensitivity drug susceptibility testing, differential diagnosis, and surveillance. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Authors & Co-Authors
Fløe, Andreas
Denmark, Aarhus
Aarhus Universitetshospital
Hilberg, Ole
Denmark, Aarhus
Aarhus Universitetshospital
Thomsen, Vibeke Østergaard
Denmark, Copenhagen
Statens Serum Institut
Lillebæk, Troels
Denmark, Copenhagen
Statens Serum Institut
Wejse, Christian
Denmark, Aarhus
Aarhus Universitetshospital
Denmark, Aarhus
Aarhus Universitet
Statistics
Citations: 8
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1093/cid/civ563
ISSN:
10584838
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Quantitative