Quality of sputum in the performance of polymerase chain reaction for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis

Abstract

use of high quality samples improved significantly the PCR performance, especially on their sensitivity and positive predictive values.

Direct Molecular Characterization of Acid-Fast Bacilli Smear of Nontuberculosis Mycobacterium Species Causing Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Guna Yala Region, Panama

“…The PCR analysis is rapid and sensitive but presents two major problems: 1) false-negative reactions caused by inhibitors and false-positive reactions due to contamination with DNA and amplicons and 2) the influence of respiratory tract microbiota on the performance of AFB/ PRA analysis. 17 Culture remains the gold standard for laboratory confirmation of NTM infection. Thus, a direct correlation between molecular and culture results from a sputum specimen (not prepared as an AFB smear) is needed to validate this strategy.…”