Comparative evaluation of ELISA and dot-blot for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis.

Tuberculous meningitis is a central nervous system tuberculosis caused by M. tuberculosis. It causes high mortality if delayed in diagnosis and treatment. In this comparative study, Cerebrospinal fluid from TBM and non TBM patients were analyzed by ELISA and Dot-blot for anti-tuberculous antibodies. About 70% of the TBM samples showed positivity by Dot-blot and 72.5% by ELISA. Among the non TBM controls, 2.9% showed positivity by Dot-blot and 4.4% by ELISA. Both methods did not differ significantly as seen by Fisher's exact test (p = 0.50). Thus, Dot-blot could be an easy alternative to ELISA for quick diagnosis of TBM.