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Home / The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Volume 9, Number 8

Comparison of scanty AFB smears against culture in an area with high HIV prevalence

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To verify among tuberculosis (TB) suspects attending hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria, if sputum smears graded as scanty are false-positive, sputum smears from 1068 patients were graded with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease classification. One specimen was cultured. Eight hundred and twenty-four (26%) smears were positive, 137 (4%) scanty and 2243 negative. Of 1068 cultures, 680 (64%) were positive. One hundred and thirty (95%) scanty and 809 (98%) positive smears were culture-positive. Twelve of 18 patients with a single scanty smear and 51 of 52 with ≥2 scanty smears were culture-positive. Fewer than <5% scanty results, <1% of the patients treated for TB, are false-positive.

Keywords: Nigeria; diagnosis; scanty bacilli; smears; tuberculosis

Document Type: Short Communication

Affiliations: 1: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK; and Zankli Medical Centre, Abuja, Nigeria 2: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK 3: Zankli Medical Centre, Abuja, Nigeria

Publication date: August 1, 2005

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  • The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is for clinical research and epidemiological studies on lung health, including articles on TB, TB-HIV and respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, asthma, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and air pollution. Individuals and institutes can subscribe to the IJTLD online or in print – simply email us at [email protected] for details.

    The IJTLD is dedicated to understanding lung disease and to the dissemination of knowledge leading to better lung health. To allow us to share scientific research as rapidly as possible, the IJTLD is fast-tracking the publication of certain articles as preprints prior to their publication. Read fast-track articles.

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