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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, January 1999, p. 229-232, Vol. 37, No. 1
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the Abbott LCx Mycobacterium tuberculosis Assay for Direct Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex in Human Samples

Maria Grazia Garrino,1,* Youri Glupczynski,1 Josiane Degraux,2 Henri Nizet,1 and Michel Delmée2

Microbiology Laboratory, University Hospital Mont-Godinne, Catholic University of Louvain, Yvoir,1 and Microbiology Unit, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels,2 Belgium

Received 27 July 1998/Returned for modification 2 September 1998/Accepted 24 September 1998

Seven hundred thirty-seven clinical samples from 460 patients were processed for direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by a semiautomated ligase chain reaction commercial assay, the LCx Mycobacterium tuberculosis Assay (LCx assay) from Abbott Laboratories. Results were compared to those of direct microscopy and standard microbiological culture. Of 26 patients (5.7%) with a culture positive for M. tuberculosis, 22 (84.6%) were found positive by the LCx assay. The sensitivity of the LCx assay was 98% for smear-positive samples and 27% for smear-negative samples. With an overall culture positivity rate for M. tuberculosis of 8.3% (61 of 737 samples) and after resolution of discrepant results according to clinical data, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the LCx assay were 78, 100, 95, and 98%, respectively, compared to 85, 100, 100, and 98%, respectively, for culture and 67, 99, 87, and 97%, respectively, for acid-fast staining. In conclusion, the LCx assay proved satisfactory and appears to be an easy-to-use 1-day test which must be used with standard culture methods but can considerably reduce diagnosis time versus culture. However, its clinical interest appears to be limited in our population with low mycobacterial prevalence because of its cost considering the small gain in sensitivity versus direct microscopy.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Microbiology Laboratory, University Hospital Mont-Godinne, Ave. Therasse 1, B5530 Yvoir, Belgium. Phone: 32 81 423212. Fax: 32 81 423204. E-mail: garrino{at}mblg.ucl.ac.be.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, January 1999, p. 229-232, Vol. 37, No. 1
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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