[Early diagnosis of female genital tuberculosis by phage amplified biological assay].

OBJECTIVE: To establish an early diagnostic method for detecting female genital tuberculosis. METHODS: Eighty-six women with genital tuberculosis during January 2005-September 2007 were examined by phage amplified biological assay, and the results were compared with those from leucorrhea culture, smear and PCR. RESULTS: Forty-five patients were tuberculosis positive with 100% of specificity identified by phage amplified biological assay. Twenty patients were tuberculosis positive by PCR. Five patients were culture-positive tuberculosis and no case had smear-positive tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: Phage amplified biologically assay is sensitive and specific, which could be used for the early diagnosis of female genital tuberculosis.