Serological diagnosis of tuberculosis

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Published on: February 16, 2020

R Dayal1, A Singh, V M Katoch

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, S.N. Medical College and National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and other Mycobacterial Diseases (ICMR), Agra, India. r_dayal123@rediffmail.com

Indian Journal of Pediatrics
|December 6, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) shows promise for diagnosing childhood tuberculosis by detecting IgG antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen 85 complex. This method offers higher sensitivity than traditional bacteriological tests.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Tuberculosis diagnosis in children, particularly extrapulmonary forms, remains challenging.
  • Current diagnostic methods like Ziehl Neelson staining, Lowenstein Jensen culture, and BacT/Alert 3D system have limitations in sensitivity and speed for pediatric tuberculosis.
  • Antigen 85 complex of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a key target for serological detection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for detecting IgG antibodies against the Antigen 85 complex in children with tuberculosis.
  • To compare the sensitivity and specificity of ELISA with conventional bacteriological diagnostic methods.

Main Methods:

  • The study included 83 children (0-18 years) with pulmonary and central nervous system tuberculosis and 32 controls.
  • Serum samples were analyzed using ELISA for IgG antibodies against the Antigen 85 complex.
  • ELISA results were compared against Ziehl Neelson staining, Lowenstein Jensen (LJ) medium culture, and BacT/Alert 3D system culture.

Main Results:

  • ELISA demonstrated significantly higher sensitivity (59.1%) compared to LJ medium culture (19.3%), BacT/Alert 3D system (24.1%), and Ziehl Neelson staining (16.9%) (p<0.001).
  • The specificity of the ELISA test was determined to be 71.9%.

Conclusions:

  • ELISA offers a sensitive and convenient method for diagnosing childhood tuberculosis.
  • The low cost and good sensitivity of ELISA suggest its potential as a valuable tool in the diagnosis of pediatric tuberculosis.
  • Further research may validate ELISA as a primary or adjunctive diagnostic method for childhood tuberculosis.
Abstract

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