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Micro-Colony Forming Unit Assay for Efficacy Evaluation of Vaccines Against Tuberculosis
Published on: July 28, 2023
Diagnostic usefulness of a T-cell-based assay in patients with miliary tuberculosis compared with those with lymph
Yu-Mi Lee1, Ki-Ho Park, Sun-Mi Kim
1Department of Infectious Diseases, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Abstract:
Forty-three patients with miliary tuberculosis were evaluated for diagnostic usefulness of enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay. Among noninvasive rapid tests available within 3-5 days, ELISPOT had the highest sensitivity (93%), compared with acid-fast bacilli stain (sputum, 32% and bronchoalveolar lavage, 7%), Mycobacterium tuberculosis polymerase chain reaction (sputum, 53% and bronchoalveolar lavage, 36%), and tuberculin skin test (22%). In comparison with 44 patients with lymph node tuberculosis, the sensitivity of the ELISPOT assay in patients with miliary tuberculosis (93%) was as high as in those with lymph node tuberculosis (95%, P = .63), whereas the sensitivity of the tuberculin skin test was substantially lower in patients with miliary tuberculosis (22%) than in those with lymph node tuberculosis (73%, P < .001).
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