Comparative Evaluation of GENE-XPERT MTB/RIF with AFB Smear Microscopy Methods for the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Sputum Specimens of Suspected Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients

Tuberculosis is a major public health problem worldwide and remains one of the most significant causes of death from an infectious agent. India contributes to 25.5% of the global new TB case detection. In recent times, emphasis has shifted from older phenotypically and biochemical methods of diagnosis to molecular methods such as GeneXpert MTB/RIF, a real time PCR that can detect MTB and rifampicin resistence simultaneously. Methods: This study aims at assessing the performance of acid fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy in comparison with GeneXpert MTB RIF, in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Study was a cross-sectional study carried out at the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Muzaffarnagar Medical College, from January 2018 to April 2019. Result: The detection of MTB and rifampicin resistance using the Xpert MTB/RIF assay was assessed in 67 specimens from patients suspected of having pulmonary tuberculosis and compared with conventional smear microscopy. Out of these 67 sputum specimens, 38 samples were MTB positive by smear microscopy while 56 samples were MTB detected by Gene Xpert assay. Gene Xpert detected 18 additional tubercular cases and identify two cases of Rifampicin resistant MTB. Conclusion: Study show that there was no statistically significance in diagnostic value between GeneXpert and AFB smear microscopy in sputum samples however Gene Xpert MTB/RIF is useful method for rapid detection of MTB and Rifampicin resistance simultaneously.

One case report of Ancylostoma duodenale parasitized in hepatic flexure of colon / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

This paper reports a case of Ancylostoma duodenale parasitized in the hepatic flexure of colon and the case was misdiagnosed at the beginning. The causes of misdiagnosis are analyzed and the laboratory examination methods of hookworm are summarized.

Effectiveness of Tuberculosis Smear Microscopy in Laboratory Diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Resource Constrained Settings.

Aim: To determine the correlation of accuracy of direct smear microscopy compared with BACTEC MGIT 960. Design: The study prospectively compare direct smear microscopy with BACTEC MGIT 960 using the reference standard, Lowenstein Jensen culture. Place and Duration: The study was conducted in Zankli Medical Centre, Abuja, between November 2004 and July 2005. Methodology: 340 suspected patients for Mycobacterium tuberculosis referred from direct observation therapy clinics located in six different government owned health facilities were referred to our facility. These patients; male (192) and female (148) were between the age of 10 and 64 years old. Three sputa samples were collected over two consecutive days and direct smear microscopy and culture were performed on these samples. Results: When compared with the reference standard, BACTEC MGIT 960 has a sensitivity and specificity of 100.0% and 56.4% respectively, and a negative predictive value of 100.0%; indicating the proportion of AFB negative participants were actually not infected with M. tuberculosis when tested with BACTEC MGIT 960. The sensitivity of direct microscopy was significantly lower than BACTEC MGIT 960 (84.9% versus 100%, p<0.001) and the specificity was significantly higher (96.6% versus 56.4%, p<0.001). Conclusions: For the purpose of effectiveness of tuberculosis program in developing countries, direct smear microscopy may still be relevant in the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

A Preliminary Study of Blastocystis hominis in Some Development Areas in Alor Gajah District Melaka / Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia

A descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of Blastocystis hominis in children aged between 1-12 years old from randomly selected villages in Alor Gajah district Melaka. The sampling was carried out from 1st to 7th of July of 2006. A total of 48 faecal samples were obtained from the children in those studied villages. The faecal specimens were examined by direct saline wet moun, formalin ethyl acetate concentration and trichrome staining method. It was found that 45.8% (22 out of 48) of the examined children were infected with Blastocystis hominis . Based on the results, the cumulative prevalence of three methods used showed that Blastocystis hominis infection in female children higher compared to male children. Whilst the schooling children aged of 6 to 12 years had a higher prevalence than pre school children at the age of 1-5 years. In term of diagnosis, formalin ethyl acetate concentration method showed prevalence of detection at 60.9%. It was followed by direct saline wet mount (43.5%) and trichrome staining at 34.8%.

Correlation of egg counts of Clonorchis sinensis by three methods of fecal examination

The Kato-Katz (KK) method is a well-known method of fecal examination for helminthiases. Its diagnostic sensitivity was found very high for clonorchiasis. The present study evaluated the correlation of Clonorchis sinensis egg counts by the KK method with those by direct smear and formalin-ether (FE) technique. The egg counts obtained by the KK method (Y) were correlated with the counts by direct smear (X) with the equation of Y = 659.4 + 0.266X (r2= 0.738), but not with those by the FE method. The present study demonstrated that the KK method and direct smear were useful for both qualitative and quantitative diagnosis of clonorchiasis, especially in the field.

Comparison of direct smear and cytospin of peritoneal fluid samplings in the diagnosis of gynecological malignancies.

While direct smear and cytospin of peritoneal fluid samplings have often been routinely prepared, their comparative usefulness and accuracy in the diagnosis of gynecological malignancies had not been evaluated in Siriraj Hospital Specimens obtained from 328 patients in whom clinical evidence raised the suspicion of gynecological malignancies were reviewed independently and without knowledge of the diagnosis. Direct smear gave better sensitivity and a lower false negative rate than cytospin (73.2% vs 69.6% and 26.8% vs 30.4%, respectively) but the difference was not statistically significant. Diagnostic accuracy can be improved by combining the two techniques. It can be concluded that direct smear is comparable to cytospin technique in diagnosing gynecological malignancies from peritoneal fluid samplings. Direct smear is the most useful method in places where cytospin is not available.