Abstract
Objectives: Childhood tuberculosis is difficult to diagnose. A rapid, simple and relatively inexpensive diagnostic test will be crucial to future control efforts. Therefore, diagnostic potential of secretory antigen 85C in human sera specimen, CSF and other body fluids of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in childhood tuberculosis cases were evaluated using ELISA technique and reactivity was compared with the gold standards (Ziehl Neelsen staining, BACTEC culture) and IS6110 targeted PCR. Methods: In the present study, 73 fresh, untreated childhood tuberculosis (TB) cases under 18 years of age out of these 27 had pulmonary tuberculosis and 46 patient had extra pulmonary tuberculosis. Twenty healthy children were included. Results: ELISA with Antigen 85C in sera was positive in 88.89% and 80.43% of pulmonary and extrapulmonary cases, respectively. Overall sensitivity and specificity were 83.56% and 65%, (p 0.05). PCR targeting IS6110 was positive in 96.30% and 65.22% of pulmonary and extrapulmonary cases, respectively. Overall sensitivity and specificity were 76.71% and 90%, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrates the potential of Ag 85C in sera in the detection of antibody in childhood TB cases and this antigen showed good concordance with PCR positivity.
Highlights
Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health hazard
We have evaluated the reactivity of Antigen 85C in pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis cases and healthy children in comparison to ZN staining, BACTEC culture, and PCR IS6110 test
Sputum samples/ gastric aspirate/ pleural fluid from pulmonary TB (PTB) cases, lymph node aspirate from tuberculous lymphnode, CSF from tuberculous meningitis and ascitic fluid from abdominal tuberculosis were subjected to Ziehl Nielsen staining for acid fast bacillus (AFB), culture for TB at the National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases (ICMR), Agra for establishing a provisional diagnosis for all the cases
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health hazard. Out of the total 14 million prevalent cases, most of cases were found in the South-East Asia, African and Western Pacific regions (35%, 30% and 20%, respectively). An estimated 11–13% of incident cases are HIV-positive [1]. Estimated cases among children have been on the rise [2]. Paediatric age group cases represent a small proportion of all tuberculosis cases yet the infected children act as a reservoir from which many adult patients may arise [3]. Identification of the micro-organism in the body
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