Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 1, 2025
An Automated Culture System for Use in Preclinical Testing of Host-Directed Therapies for Tuberculosis
Published on: August 16, 2021
Rapid Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Pleural Fluid Using Resuscitation-Promoting Factor-Based Thin Layer
Fengjiao Du1, Aiying Xing1, Zihui Li1
1Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Resistance Tuberculosis Research, Beijing Chest Hospital, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Background:
Pleural tuberculous is difficult to diagnose. Culture is still considered the gold standard, especially in resource-limited settings where quick, cheap, and easy techniques are needed. The aim of the study was to evaluate resuscitation-promoting factors (Rpfs)-based thin layer agar (TLA) culture method for quick detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in pleural fluid.
Methods:
Patients with suspected pleural TB were enrolled prospectively in our hospital, pleural fluid of all patients were collected, stained with Ziehl-Neelsen for acid-fast bacilli (AFB), cultured on Rpfs-TLA, TLA, and Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) medium, and identified according to recommended procedures.
Results:
A total of 137 suspected pleural TB were enrolled and categorized, including 103 pleural TB (49 confirmed and 54 probable pleural TB) and 34 non-TBP patients. The sensitivity of Rpfs-TLA for total pleural TB was 43.7% (34.5∼53.3%), higher than that of TLA 29.1% (21.2∼38.5%) and LJ 26.2% (18.7∼35.5%) (p < 0.01), and all specificity was 100% in the diagnosis of pleural TB. Median time to detection of a positive culture was 11.8 days (95% CI 10.4∼13.4) for Rpfs-TLA, 21.0 days (95% CI 19.1∼22.9) for TLA, and 30.5 days (95% CI 28.5∼32.5) for LJ (p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Rpfs-TLA is an accurate, rapid, cheap, and easy culture method, which makes it promising for use in clinical laboratories.
