Reduced sensitivity of tuberculosis serodiagnosis in patients with AIDS in Uganda

Setting: The diagnostic utility of serodiagnosis of tuberculosis in HIV-infected persons was studied in Kampala, Uganda. Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate the utility of a recently described serologic assay for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients. Design: The study was undertaken as a cross-sectional survey of 349 subjects, including human immunodeficiency virus-infected and uninfected patients with tuberculosis and control subjects. Serum from each subject was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgG antibody to the 30 000 dalton antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Results: Test sensitivity dropped from 0.62 in non HIV-infected tuberculous patients to 0.28 in HIV-infected patients. Conclusions: ELISA serodiagnosis of tuberculosis may have a markedly decreased utility in populations where HIV infection is prevalent. © 1994.