ComparatiVe Study between the ConVentional and Recent Methods in Diagnosis of Genitourinary Juberculosis

Abstract

Tuberculosis still remains 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 of MTS have emerged which further complicates TB control programs (Magdalena et al., 1998).

One of the most critical aspects of TB control is rapid identification of infectious patients, a process which for many years was based on staining s mears for acid-and alcohol fast bacilli a rld culturing on solid media. The results of acid-and alcohol-fast smears are available in less than 24 hours but positive results are not specific. O 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 MTS complex (Bergman and Woods, 1998). Although no amplification system known today provides sufficient sensitivity to replace culture as a reliable screening tool, an increasing