Skip to main content
PMC home page
American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1991 Oct;81(10):1326–1328. doi: 10.2105/ajph.81.10.1326

The impact of HIV on the usefulness of sputum smears for the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

R Long 1, M Scalcini 1, J Manfreda 1, M Jean-Baptiste 1, E Hershfield 1
PMCID: PMC1405318  PMID: 1928536

Abstract

In a developing country, 289 patients were examined for active pulmonary mycobacterial disease (sputum smear and culture) and HIV infection (serology) to compare the sensitivity and positive predictive value of sputum smears for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with and without antibodies to HIV. Seventy-nine percent of HIV-seronegative vs 66% of HIV-seropositive patients with positive cultures for Mycobacterium tuberculosis were smear positive (P less than .05), and a positive sputum smear predicted the presence of M. tuberculosis in 90% of HIV seronegative vs 80% of HIV seropositive patients (P less than .05). In our opinion, HIV did not significantly compromise the diagnostic utility of the sputum smear.

Full text

PDF
1326

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Daniel T. M. Rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis: laboratory techniques applicable in developing countries. Rev Infect Dis. 1989 Mar-Apr;11 (Suppl 2):S471–S478. doi: 10.1093/clinids/11.supplement_2.s471. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Dannenberg A. M., Jr Immune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Rev Infect Dis. 1989 Mar-Apr;11 (Suppl 2):S369–S378. doi: 10.1093/clinids/11.supplement_2.s369. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Grosset J. Bacteriologic basis of short-course chemotherapy for tuberculosis. Clin Chest Med. 1980 May;1(2):231–241. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Heifets L. B. Rapid automated methods (BACTEC System) in clinical mycobacteriology. Semin Respir Infect. 1986 Dec;1(4):242–249. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Klein N. C., Duncanson F. P., Lenox T. H., 3rd, Pitta A., Cohen S. C., Wormser G. P. Use of mycobacterial smears in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in AIDS/ARC patients. Chest. 1989 Jun;95(6):1190–1192. doi: 10.1378/chest.95.6.1190. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Long R., Scalcini M., Manfreda J., Carré G., Philippe E., Hershfield E., Sekla L., Stackiw W. Impact of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 on tuberculosis in rural Haiti. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1991 Jan;143(1):69–73. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/143.1.69. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Pitchenik A. E., Fertel D., Bloch A. B. Mycobacterial disease: epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Clin Chest Med. 1988 Sep;9(3):425–441. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Pitchenik A. E., Russell B. W., Cleary T., Pejovic I., Cole C., Snider D. E., Jr The prevalence of tuberculosis and drug resistance among Haitians. N Engl J Med. 1982 Jul 15;307(3):162–165. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198207153070306. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Pitchenik A. E. Tuberculosis control and the AIDS epidemic in developing countries. Ann Intern Med. 1990 Jul 15;113(2):89–91. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-113-2-89. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Sathe S. S., Reichman L. B. Mycobacterial disease in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Clin Chest Med. 1989 Sep;10(3):445–463. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Scalcini M., Carré G., Jean-Baptiste M., Hershfield E., Parker S., Wolfe J., Nelz K., Long R. Antituberculous drug resistance in central Haiti. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1990 Sep;142(3):508–511. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/142.3.508. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Snider D. E., Jr, Good R. C., Kilburn J. O., Laskowski L. F., Jr, Lusk R. H., Marr J. J., Reggiardo Z., Middlebrook G. Rapid drug-susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1981 Apr;123(4 Pt 1):402–406. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1981.123.4.402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Public Health are provided here courtesy of American Public Health Association

RESOURCES