From the Department of Medical Microbiology, University College London Medical School, University of London, London, England.
Abstract: (4095 Views)
In view of the importance of early diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis
(TBM), the efficiency of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), one of the most
reliable and sensitive DNA-based assays, was compared with conventional
methods (acid-fast microscopy and culture) for the detection of M. tuberculosis in
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens from patients suspected of TBM.
Of the 29 CSF specimens from highly probable TBM patients (based on
clinical features), 25 were positive by PCR (86.2%), was acid-fast microscopy (AFM) positive (3.4%), positive (17.2%).
No positive results were found by AFM, culture or PCR in the nontuberculous
control group. The results of this study indicate that application of
PCR should be extremely useful for the diagnosis of TBM.