TABLE 4.

Efficiency of PCR diagnosis versus clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis^a

Method	Status	No. of patients (n = 120)		Sensitivity (%)	Specificity (%)	PPV (%)	NPV (%)
		P	N
PCR
PK	P	4	3
	N	21	83	16	96.5	57.2	79.8
	I	5	4
CTAB	P	14	18
	N	12	67	53.8	78.8	43.8	84.8
	I	4	5
Culture	P	13	0	43.3	100	100	84.1
	N	17	90

^aP, positive; N, negative; I, inhibitory; PPV, positive predictive value; NPV, negative predictive value. Cutoff absorbance value, >0.300.