ratio of smear-negative tuberculosis in Sindh: an insight using fluorescence microscopy

ABSTRACT

Background: Sputum smear microscopy is the most useful tool used for the screening of presumptive tuberculosis cases. Conventionally Ziehl-Neelsen [ZN] based staining is used to microscopically screen sputum from the presumptive Tuberculosis Cases. However, Fluorescent microscopy [FM] is now gradually replacing the conventional ZN microscopy because of its higher efficiency and efficacy in detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In patients, who do not produce sufficiently high number of bacilli, and are known as Smear-negative, efficacy of both types of microscopy remains questionable as no Mycobacteria are detected in the sputum of these patients and they are falsely labelled as smear-negative