Diagnostic usefulness of a T-cell-based assay in patients with miliary tuberculosis compared with those with lymph node tuberculosis.

Yu-Mi Lee, Ki-Ho Park, Sun-Mi Kim, Su Jin Park, Sang-Oh Lee, Sang-Ho Choi, Yang Soo Kim, Jun Hee Woo, Sung-Han Kim

Department of Infectious Diseases, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2013 Jan

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Forty-three patients with miliary tuberculosis were evaluated for diagnostic usefulness of enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay. Among noninvasive rapid tests available within 3-5 days, ELISPOT had the highest sensitivity (93%), compared with acid-fast bacilli stain (sputum, 32% and bronchoalveolar lavage, 7%), Mycobacterium tuberculosis polymerase chain reaction (sputum, 53% and bronchoalveolar lavage, 36%), and tuberculin skin test (22%). In comparison with 44 patients with lymph node tuberculosis, the sensitivity of the ELISPOT assay in patients with miliary tuberculosis (93%) was as high as in those with lymph node tuberculosis (95%, P = .63), whereas the sensitivity of the tuberculin skin test was substantially lower in patients with miliary tuberculosis (22%) than in those with lymph node tuberculosis (73%, P < .001).

Citation

Yu-Mi Lee, Ki-Ho Park, Sun-Mi Kim, Su Jin Park, Sang-Oh Lee, Sang-Ho Choi, Yang Soo Kim, Jun Hee Woo, Sung-Han Kim. Diagnostic usefulness of a T-cell-based assay in patients with miliary tuberculosis compared with those with lymph node tuberculosis. Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. 2013 Jan;56(2):e26-9