This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bonington, A.
Right arrow Articles by Wilkins, E. G. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bonington, A.
Right arrow Articles by Wilkins, E. G. L.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, May 1998, p. 1251-1254, Vol. 36, No. 5
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Use of Roche AMPLICOR Mycobacterium tuberculosis PCR in Early Diagnosis of Tuberculous Meningitis

Alec Bonington,1,* J. I. George Strang,2,dagger Paul E. Klapper,3 Steven V. Hood,1 William Rubombora,2 Miranda Penny,2 Rose Willers,2 and Edmund G. L. Wilkins1

Department of Infectious Diseases, North Manchester General Hospital, North Manchester,1 and Department of Pathological Sciences, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester,3 United Kingdom, and Cecilia Makiwane Hospital, Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, South Africa2

Received 10 November 1997/Returned for modification 24 December 1997/Accepted 10 February 1998

Several nucleic acid-based amplification tests are available for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but few data are available on their use in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). We performed a prospective study to assess the Roche AMPLICOR Mycobacterium tuberculosis PCR test (TB AMPLICOR) for use in the diagnosis of TBM and compared it with direct Ziehl-Neelsen staining of smears, radiometric culture for M. tuberculosis, and clinical and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings. Eighty-three CSF specimens collected from 69 patients with suspected meningitis in South Africa were tested by TB AMPLICOR. On the basis of clinical and laboratory findings, 40 of these patients were treated for TBM and 29 patients were not treated for TBM. Ten CSF samples from 10 patients were positive by TB AMPLICOR. Seven of these 10 patients were classified as having definite TBM, 2 were classified as having probable TBM, and 1 was classified as having possible TBM. The sensitivity of TB AMPLICOR for detecting cases of definite and probable TBM in patients from whom CSF specimens had been collected less than 10 days into antituberculosis treatment was 60.0%. Specimens from all 29 patients not treated for TBM were negative by the TB AMPLICOR, giving a 100% specificity. TB AMPLICOR is therefore more sensitive than the combination of Ziehl-Neelsen staining of smears and radiometric culture for M. tuberculosis and is a rapid and highly specific diagnostic test for TBM.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Infectious Diseases, Monsall Unit, North Manchester General Hospital, Delaunays Rd., North Manchester, M8 5RB, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 (0) 161 445 7315. Fax: 44 (0) 161 720 2562. E-mail: alec{at}creswell.demon.co.uk.

dagger Present address: Department of Medicine, Milton Keynes Hospital, Milton Keynes MK6 5LD, United Kingdom.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, May 1998, p. 1251-1254, Vol. 36, No. 5
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Rock, R. B., Olin, M., Baker, C. A., Molitor, T. W., Peterson, P. K. (2008). Central Nervous System Tuberculosis: Pathogenesis and Clinical Aspects. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 21: 243-261 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Quan, C., Lu, C.-Z., Qiao, J., Xiao, B.-G., Li, X. (2006). Comparative evaluation of early diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis by different assays.. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 3160-3166 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Shah, N. P., Singhal, A., Jain, A., Kumar, P., Uppal, S. S., Srivatsava, M. V. P., Prasad, H. K. (2006). Occurrence of Overlooked Zoonotic Tuberculosis: Detection of Mycobacterium bovis in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 1352-1358 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kulkarni, S P, Jaleel, M A, Kadival, G V (2005). Evaluation of an in-house-developed PCR for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis in Indian children. J Med Microbiol 54: 369-373 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Johansen, I. S., Lundgren, B., Tabak, F., Petrini, B., Hosoglu, S., Saltoglu, N., Thomsen, V. O. (2004). Improved Sensitivity of Nucleic Acid Amplification for Rapid Diagnosis of Tuberculous Meningitis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 3036-3040 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Thwaites, G. E., Caws, M., Chau, T. T. H., Dung, N. T., Campbell, J. I., Phu, N. H., Hien, T. T., White, N. J., Farrar, J. J. (2004). Comparison of Conventional Bacteriology with Nucleic Acid Amplification (Amplified Mycobacterium Direct Test) for Diagnosis of Tuberculous Meningitis before and after Inception of Antituberculosis Chemotherapy. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 996-1002 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Piersimoni, C., Scarparo, C. (2003). Relevance of Commercial Amplification Methods for Direct Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex in Clinical Samples. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 5355-5365 [Full Text]  
  • Caws, M., Wilson, S. M., Clough, C., Drobniewski, F. (2000). Role of IS6110-Targeted PCR, Culture, Biochemical, Clinical, and Immunological Criteria for Diagnosis of Tuberculous Meningitis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 38: 3150-3155 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ruiz-Manzano, J., Manterola, J.-M., Gamboa, F., Calatrava, A., Monso, E., Martinez, C., Ausina, V. (2000). Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Paraffin-Embedded Pleural Biopsy Specimens by Commercial Ribosomal RNA and DNA Amplification Kits. Chest 118: 648-655 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»