Browsing by Author "THOMAS, M"
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Item RAPID DIAGNOSIS OF TUBERCULOUS MENINGITIS WITH A DOT ENZYME-IMMUNOASSAY TO DETECT ANTIBODY IN CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID(EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 1991)A simple dot enzyme immunoassay (Dot-EIA) was carried out to detect antibody to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen 5 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens from 40 patients with a clinical diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). The assay gave a positive reaction in all ten patients with culture proven TBM. In 30 culture negative patients with TBM, the assay was positive at a titre of 1:16 in 18 patients. In 40 patients with non-tuberculous neurological diseases (control group) the assay was negative at a titre of 1:16. The Dot-EIA had an overall sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 100% in the diagnosis of TBM. This assay could be used as a rapid screening test to establish the diagnosis of TBM, particularly in patients in whom bacteriological investigations for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in CSF specimens are negative.