[Diagnosis of tuberculosis today]

Authors analyse the main aspects about the diagnosis of tuberculosis and they emphasize that the bacteriological and immunological tests are very important, beside the clinical, radiologic and hematic picture. As regards bacteriological research, Authors dwell upon the significance of repeated sputum specimens and they reevaluate the use of fluorochrome staining. The immunological "in vivo" tests are represented by tuberculin skin test, that must be correctly made and valued to avoid wrong unresponsiveness, at the other hand also caused by host factors. About immunological "in vitro" tests, Authors report the good prospects opened by the serological diagnosis with an immunoenzymatic method specific for S antigen of M. tuberculosis.