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Table 3 Comparison of performances of diagnostic tests in tissues and clinical samples

From: Delayed diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis presenting as fever of unknown origin in an intermediate-burden country

Specimen type

No. (%) of positive specimens

 

Group of early diagnosis

Group of delayed diagnosis

AFB smear

MTB-PCR

Histology/cytology

MTB culture

AFB smear

MTB-PCR

Histology/cytology

MTB culture

Tissue

 Lymph node, cervical

2/5

4/5

4/5

2/4

0/4

3/4

3/3

2/2

 Lymph node, non-cervical

2/7

5/7

7/7

3/4

2/5

4/5

4/5

0/3

 Bone

2/9

8/9

5/8

8/9

0/4

2/4

2/4

3/4

 Omentum

1/7

5/7

5/7

2/5

0/4

3/4

4/4

 

 Liver/spleen/bone marrow

0/4

2/4

1/3

2/4

3/8

6/8

5/7

0/3

 Other soft tissue

5/7

6/7

4/7

4/5

2/3

3/3

2/3

2/2

Clinical samples

 Sputum

9/26

8/18

 

26/26

0/10

3/5

 

10/10

 Bronchoscopic specimens

1/4

3/4

 

4/4

    

 CSF

0/4

1/4

0/4

2/4

0/2

1/2

0/2

1/2

 Pleural fluid

0/7

1/7

6/7

2/7

0/2

0/2

2/2

0/2

 Ascites

0/12

3/12

11/12

6/11

0/2

0/2

2/2

0/2

 Other fluid

1/8

7/7

 

7/7

0/2

1/2

0/2

1/2

Total

23/100 (23.0)

53/91 (58.2)

43/60 (71.7)

68/90 (75.6)

7/46 (15.2)

26/41 (63.4)

24/33 (72.7)

19/32 (59.3)

  1. Abbreviations: AFB acid-fast bacilli, CSF cerebrospinal fluid, FUO fever of unknown origin, TB-PCR tuberculosis polymerase chain reaction, MTB Mycobacterium tuberculosis
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BMC Infectious Diseases

ISSN: 1471-2334

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