A comparison of two different culture methods for use in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Eurasian J Med 2015;
46:74-7. [PMID:
25610302 DOI:
10.5152/eajm.2014.19]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2013] [Accepted: 11/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a significant health problem worldwide. Pulmonary TB is a contagious disease. To control the spread of TB, the disease must be diagnosed early and treated effectively.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this study, we determined the rates and periods of TB bacterial reproduction using the Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) and the Mycobacterium Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) culture systems in respiratory specimens obtained from 105 suspected TB cases that applied to our service.
RESULTS
Using either the LJ or MGIT method, the reproduction rates of TB cultures from 91 positively diagnosed cases were determined to be 69.2% and 92.3% (p=0.116), respectively. The reproduction period for these same cultures was determined to be 29.7±10.0 days and 12.1±6.1 days (p<0.0001), respectively. The culture positivity rate determined using both the LJ and MGIT methods together was found to be significantly higher than the rate determined using either LJ or MGIT separately (p<0.0001).
CONCLUSION
For the early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, which is essential for controlling the spread of TB, the routine use of the MGIT system, which is a rapid, automated and non-radiometric method, combined with the LJ method would effectively increase the diagnosis rate in order to control tuberculosis outbreaks.
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