Open AccessDiagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis by PCR
Author(s) -
Mehta Promod K.,
Raj Ankush,
Singh Netrapal,
Khuller Gopal K.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-695x.2012.00987.x
Subject(s) - medicine , tuberculosis , extrapulmonary tuberculosis , coinfection , mycobacterium tuberculosis , genexpert mtb/rif , disease , immunology , pathology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)
During the last two decades, the resurgence of tuberculosis ( TB ) has been documented in both developed and developing nations, and much of this increase in TB burden coincided with human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) epidemics. Since then, the disease pattern has changed with a higher incidence of extrapulmonary tuberculosis ( EPTB ) as well as disseminated TB . EPTB cases include TB lymphadenitis, pleural TB , TB meningitis, osteoarticular TB , genitourinary TB , abdominal TB , cutaneous TB , ocular TB , TB pericarditis and breast TB , although any organ can be involved. Diagnosis of EPTB can be baffling, compelling a high index of suspicion owing to paucibacillary load in the biological specimens. A negative smear for acid‐fast bacilli, lack of granulomas on histopathology and failure to culture M ycobacterium tuberculosis do not exclude the diagnosis of EPTB . Novel diagnostic modalities such as nucleic acid amplification ( NAA ) can be useful in varied forms of EPTB . This review is primarily focused on the diagnosis of several clinical forms of EPTB by polymerase chain reaction ( PCR ) using different gene targets.