^

Health

A
A
A

Tuberculosis: detection of mycobacterium tuberculosis

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 18.10.2021
 
Fact-checked
х

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.

We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the material is normally absent.

In contrast to serological methods for diagnosing tuberculosis infection, detecting antibodies to mycobacteria of tuberculosis, PCR makes it possible to directly detect the DNA of mycobacterium tuberculosis and quantitatively express their concentration in the test material. The test material can be sputum, lavage fluid, urine, punctate from various organs and cysts, etc. The test has specific specificity and high sensitivity (more than 95%). Microbiological diagnosis of tuberculosis is currently the main method of identifying patients and monitoring the effectiveness of treatment. However, microbiological tests for tuberculosis are extremely long and have a low sensitivity (detection of positive samples does not exceed 50%). Diagnosis of tuberculosis by PCR is of great diagnostic importance (the time of the study is 4-5 hours). To detect DNA, it is sufficient that there are about 10 mycobacteria in the test material. Detection of the DNA of mycobacterium tuberculosis in the material by PCR is necessary in the following cases:

  • rapid detection of the source of infection;
  • diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis;
  • diagnostics of tuberculosis of extrapulmonary localization;
  • monitoring the effectiveness of anti-tuberculosis treatment;
  • early detection of relapses.

However, it should be noted that the use of PCR for the diagnosis of tuberculosis does not replace the bacteriological method.

Translation Disclaimer: For the convenience of users of the iLive portal this article has been translated into the current language, but has not yet been verified by a native speaker who has the necessary qualifications for this. In this regard, we warn you that the translation of this article may be incorrect, may contain lexical, syntactic and grammatical errors.

You are reporting a typo in the following text:
Simply click the "Send typo report" button to complete the report. You can also include a comment.