ABSTRACT
Backround: Although pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB) is the most common manifestation of tuberculosis, extra pulmonary tuberculosis(EPTB) has equal significance. Among the extra pulmonary manifestations, tubercular lymphadenitis (TBL) is the most common form. Objectives: To perform PCR on fine needle aspirates of lymphnode by using hupB gene as target. To compare the sensitivity and specificity of PCR with culture, cytology, serology and clinical response to therapy. Material & Methods: After processing the samples by Universal Sample Processing(USP) method,two step nested PCR was performed using two sets of primers(N1S1 & CTFR) of hupB gene. All patients were put on ATT and were followed up for two months. The response to therapy was considered as the gold standard in our study. Results: The PCR assay for hupB gene was positive in 85 patients. Of these, 82% patients showed infection with M. tuberculosis, 1% was positive for M. bovis and 2% showed co- infection with both M. tuberculosis and M. bovis. The PCR assay of hupB gene in our study showed a sensitivity of 87.4% and specificity of 66.7%. Conclusion: PCR assay for hup B gene is a rapid means of diagnosis of tubercular lymphadenitis.