Comparative Study between the Conventional and Recent Methods In Diagnosis of Genitourinary Tuberculosis

Abstract

Tuberculosis still remams a maJOr public health problem worldwide, with an estimated 1.7 million people infected with MTB. Furthermore, the number of tuberculous patients has increased in recent

years mainly in high-risk populations. The advancing age of population • and a general neglect of TB control programs in many countries also contribute to the increasing incidence of TB. In addition, drug-resistant

strains or MTB have emerged which further complicates TB control programs (Magdalena eta!., 1998).

One of the most critical aspects ofTB control is rapid identification of infectious patients, a process which for many years was based on staining smears for acid-and a !coho! fast bacilli a rfd culturing on solid • media. The results of acid-and alcohol-fast smears are available in 'Jess than 24 hours but positive results are not specific. 0 n the other hand, mycobacterial culture and identification results which provide a specific diagnosis are not available before 4-8 weeks. In response to the need for a more rapid and specific diagnostic test, several manufacturers have developed nucleic acid amplification tests specific for MTB complex (Bergman and Woods, 1998).