ABSTRACT
A comparative analysis was made of 3 conventional tests for tuberculosis [TB] versus a DNA probe technique among suspected TB patients at a reference centre in Greece. During 2004, we tested 2961 biological specimens from 2234 patients with the following methods: Ziehl-Neelsen staining, LowensteinoJensen culture, BACTEC mycobacteria growth indicator tubes [MGIT] and the Gen-Probe AMPLIFIED[TM] Mycobacterium tuberculosis direct test [MTD]. Of a total of 136 TB patients diagnosed and under anti-TB treatment, 133 of them [98%] were positive by amplified MTD. There were 112 TB [82%] detected by the MGIT method, 102 [75%] by Lowenstein-Jensen culture and 75 [55%] by Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Using MTD the positive result is ready within hours compared with days or weeks