A comparative study of fluorescent microscopy with Ziehl-Neelsen staining and culture for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (original) (raw)

Background: For developing countries with a large number of cases and financial constraints, evaluation of rapid and inexpensive diagnostic methods has great importance. The bacilli in the sputum can be detected microscopically by ZN stain and fluorochrome stain. Objectives : To study the efficacy of fluorescence microscopy in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in comparison to Ziehl-Neelsen staining and culture of sputum samples from patients suspected of pulmonary tuberculosis. Materials and methods : 306 sputum samples collected from 102 patients suspected of pulmonary tuberculosis were processed by the Petroff's method, and subjected to Ziehl-Neelsen staining (ZN), fluorescent Auramine-O staining (AO) and culture on modified Lowenstein-Jensen media (gold standard) for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Positive smears were graded according to Forbes BA et al, and culture isolates were biochemically tested for confirmation of species. Results : Out of 102 patients,...