Table 2.

Routine methods of diagnosing TB

Diagnostic method	All patients diagnosed with TB		Patients with M. tuberculosis BSI
	Number	(%) of 103	Number	(%) of 57
Confirmed Sputum
AFB positive	28	(27)	18	(32)
Lymph node aspirate caseous	13	(13)	5	(9)
Total bacteriologically	38	(37)	21	(37)
confirmed (not including blood culture)*
Classical CXR**	47	(46)	17	(30)
non-classical CXR**	35	(34)	18	(32)
Miliary CXR	11	(11)	9	(16)
Total CXR	93	(90)	44	(77)
Pericardial effusion on ultrasound	4	(4)	1	(2)
TB meningitis	3	(3)	1	(2)

^*Bacteriological confirmation includes sputum AFB positive, lymph node aspirate and pleural fluid culture positive

^**CXRs suggestive of TB were classified as ‘classical’ (showing cavities, pulmonary fibrosis, upper lobe or bilateral infiltrates, or pleural effusion not explained by another disease), ‘miliary’, or ‘non-classical’ (other infiltrates or intrathoracic adenopathy together with chronic cough or fever). Fifteen patients had their pleural effusion aspirated, of which 8 were TB culture positive (3 mycobacteraemic). All except one patient (with TB meningitis) had CXR.

All had sputum examination except 7 with mycobacteraemia and 3 without.

Lymph node aspirates were from: 6 axilla, 5 neck, 1 inguinal, 1 abdominal. 5 of these were confirmed AFB positive.

Note that some patients were diagnosed by more than one method.