Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Low sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction for diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis in southeastern Brazil

Baixa sensibilidade da reação em cadeia da polimerase para o diagnóstico de meningite tuberculosa no sudeste do Brasil

Two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocols showed low sensitivity (36% and 53% for TB AMPLICOR and MPB64 nested PCR, respectively), when compared with classic microbiological methods (73% and 54% for Ziehl-Neelsen staining and culture, respectively), in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis in 91 patients in southeastern Brazil. Only three PCR-positive, microbiologically negative patients were found. Analysis of sequential cerebrospinal fluid samples by nested PCR detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA up to 29 days after the introduction of antituberculosis chemotherapy.

Diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis; PCR; Mycobacterium tuberculosis


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