BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Sputum acid-fast bacilli (AFB) microscopy services are not available in all health facilities. Alternative procedures are needed to transport sputum samples to the diagnostic centres for detection of AFB. The objective of the present study was to evaluate sputum smears made by pot-method with the direct smears made immediately after sputum collection by Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Gene-Xpert MTB/RIF sputum test for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) among patients sputum acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear negative results in Thailand, a country with a high prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis. We studied 151 patients who presented to Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen, Thailand with a 2 week or more history ...

BACKGROUND  Advances in molecular laboratory techniques are changing the landscape of Bordetella pertussis illness diagnosis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays have greatly improved the sensitivity detection and the turnaround time to diagnosis compared to culture. Moreover, different respiratory specimens, such as flocked nasopharyngeal swabs (NPSs), nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs), and i...

BACKGROUND In February 2009, a high school student was diagnosed with sputum-smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). One year later, 2 other students in the same grade developed sputum-smear positive TB. METHODS We used tuberculin skin testing (TST), chest radiography, sputum smear, and symptomatology for case identification. We defined latent TB infection (LTBI) as a TST induration of 15...

BACKGROUND We investigated the determinants of sputum culture non-conversion following intensive phase of treatment, and assessed the effects on the outcome among patients treated for a first episode of smear positive tuberculosis (TB). METHODS This was a prospective cohort study spanning October 2009 to May 2012, among patients treated for a first episode of smear positive pulmonary tubercul...

Direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) staining of induced sputum is frequently used to diagnose Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus, although induction can provoke nausea and bronchospasm. Since the diagnostic value of expectorated sputum examined with DFA stain has not been well evaluated, we reviewed the medical records of HIV-infected patients who ...

BACKGROUND Although checking specimen quality upon sputum collection for acid-fast smear of suspected tuberculosis (TB) cases is recommended, this procedure is based on expert opinion. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the impact of sputum gross appearance and volume on smear positivity among patients with suspected pulmonary TB, according to sex. METHODS From November 2010 through J...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Sensitivity of Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) method is known to be low for liquefied sputum smears. Information on the ZN sensitivity for centrifuged deposit smears is not known. This study was carried out to determine the sensitivity of ZN method for acid fast bacilli (AFB) in centrifuged deposit smears and liquefied sputum smears made from sputum samples transported in cetyl-pyri...

The melanoma antigen gene (MAGE) A1-A6 RT-PCR system was developed for the detection of lung cancer cells in the sputum. However, we identified MAGE expression in some patients with non-malignant lung diseases. To understand these patterns of MAGE expression, we performed MAGE A3 methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and p16 MSP. We collected 24 biopsy s...