Table 1.
Consistency in PBAS2 smear slides within each grade
| Grade | No. of fields | No. of AFB per smeara |
Avg no. of AFB ± SDb | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1e | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |||
| ± | 1–100 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2.1 ± 0.8 |
| 101–200 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 201–300 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | ||
| Total | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 6.4 ± 1.4 | |
| + | 1–100 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 27 | 19 | 18 | 24.9 ± 4.1 |
| 101–200 | 22 | 20 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 19 | 22 | ||
| 201–300 | 24 | 23 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 33 | 21 | 29 | ||
| Total | 68 | 68 | 83 | 82 | 81 | 88 | 59 | 69 | 74.6 ± 10.0 | |
| ++c | 1–100 | 175 (63) | 283 (51) | 197 (65) | 177 (65) | 206 (65) | 232 (66) | 263 (66) | 310 (71) | 235.0 ± 48.9 |
| 101–200 | 156 (57) | 330 (72) | 229 (65) | 183 (65) | 245 (66) | 236 (67) | 296 (66) | 289 (70) | ||
| 201–300 | 172 (64) | 299 (59) | 202 (67) | 191 (65) | 220 (64) | 238 (66) | 257 (66) | 254 (69) | ||
| Total | 503 (184) | 912 (182) | 628 (197) | 551 (195) | 671 (195) | 706 (199) | 816 (198) | 853 (210) | 705.0 ± 145.7 | |
| +++d | 1–100 | 736 [33] | 671 [25] | 615 [27] | 589 [28] | 686 [31] | 1,171 [54] | 581 [28] | 632 [26] | 711.1 ± 158.3 |
| 101–200 | 770 [30] | 621 [23] | 606 [27] | 557 [29] | 760 [33] | 1,051 [48] | 646 [30] | 631 [28] | ||
| 201–300 | 765 [34] | 635 [25] | 611 [28] | 673 [27] | 625 [25] | 1,034 [49] | 637 [33] | 763 [36] | ||
| Total | 2,271 [97] | 1,927 [73] | 1,832 [82] | 1,819 [84] | 2,071 [89] | 3,256 [151] | 1,874 [91] | 2,026 [90] | 2,133.3 ± 478.0 | |
Eight smears (2-by 3-cm ellipses) were examined independently by blind evaluation by three microscopists for 100 fields, and the raw data on bacilli enumerated in 100 (italic figures) and 300 (values in total rows) fields are shown; the latter were derived by adding the values obtained from three 100-field examinations.
The average numbers ± SD were calculated in each grade for 100 (italic figures) and 300 (values in total rows) fields of the eight smears.
The figures in parentheses indicate the number of fields containing at least 1 AFB per 100 (italic figures) or 300 (values in total rows) fields in each smear.
The figures in brackets indicate the number of fields containing 10 or more AFB per 100 (italic figures) or 300 (values in total rows) fields in each smear.
Smear number.