Implementation of the thin layer agar method for diagnosis of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis in a setting with a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus infection in Homa Bay, Kenya

J Clin Microbiol. 2009 Aug;47(8):2632-4. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00264-09. Epub 2009 Jun 3.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a low-cost method, the thin layer agar (TLA) method, for the diagnosis of smear-negative patients. This prospective study was performed in Homa Bay District Hospital in Kenya. Out of 1,584 smear-negative sputum samples, 212 (13.5%) were positive by culture in Löwenstein-Jensen medium (LJ) and 220 (14%) were positive by the TLA method. The sensitivities of LJ and TLA were 71% and 74%, respectively. TLA could become an affordable method for the diagnosis of smear-negative tuberculosis in resource-limited settings, with results available within 2 weeks.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Agar
  • Bacteriological Techniques / economics
  • Bacteriological Techniques / methods*
  • Clinical Laboratory Techniques / economics
  • Clinical Laboratory Techniques / methods*
  • Culture Media / chemistry
  • HIV Infections / complications
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Kenya
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / growth & development
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / isolation & purification*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Sputum / microbiology
  • Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / diagnosis*
  • Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / microbiology

Substances

  • Culture Media
  • Agar