Abstract
ObjectiveDirect sputum smear microscopy (DSSM) has a low detection rate. This study investigated whether an alternative method called Mono-Prep smear microscopy (MPSM) can enhance the diagnosis of tuberculosis in tuberculosis laboratories that perform direct smear microscopy in China.MethodsA total of 117 sputum samples were collected from outpatients who attended Beijing Chest Hospital. DSSM, MPSM, solid culture, and Xpert MTB/RIF were performed on the samples.ResultsThe positive rates of DSSM, MPSM, solid culture, and Xpert MTB/RIF were 27.4% (32/117), 40.2% (47/117), 35.9% (42/117), and 52.1% (61/117), respectively. MPSM could detect 15 more cases of tuberculosis compared with DSSM (47 vs 32) among 117 sputum samples. This represented a significantly higher positive rate and sensitivity of MPSM compared with DSSM. However, MPSM appeared to have a lower specificity (81.3%) compared with DSSM (90.7%) with the solid culture used as a standard.ConclusionUse of MPSM can increase the number of positive sputum samples, but it still needs improvement.
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