The immunoserological diagnosis of tuberculosis: a comparison of two tests

Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2005 Jan;36(1):141-4.

Abstract

A comparative study of the diagnostic value of the ICT-TB test and the TB-Dot test, based on laboratory examination, was carried out in 39 patients suffering from sputum positive pulmonary tuberculosis (25 males and 14 females, aged 16-50 years) and in 48 patients (27 males and 21 females, aged 17-55 years) suffering from non-tuberculosis pulmonary diseases, that had attended the Tembagapura Hospital and the TB Control Health Center Timika-Mimika, Papua. The diagnostic sensitivity of the ICT-TB test was 87.18%, the diagnostic specificity was 81.25%, the diagnostic positive predictive value was 79.07%, the negative predictive value was 88.64%, and the diagnostic efficiency was 83.91%. The diagnostic sensitivity of the TB-Dot test was 93.31%, the diagnostic specificity was 95.83%, the diagnostic positive predictive value was 94.74%, the negative predictive value was 93.85%, and the diagnostic efficiency was 94.25%. The results of the statistical analysis of the data obtained in this study revealed that the diagnostic specificity, the diagnostic positive predictive value and the diagnostic efficiency of the TB-Dot test were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those of the ICT-TB test. However, the diagnostic sensitivity and the negative predictive value of both tests did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). Viewed from the point of their practicability, it can be justified that the ICT-TB test is a very practicable test, which needs only 15 minutes and does not require special instruments to perform the test, but is more expensive than the TB-Dot test. On the other hand, though the TB-Dot test is not very practicable and relatively time consuming, it has a significantly higher degree of diagnostic value and is much cheaper when compared to the ICT-TB test.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Bacteriological Techniques
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoassay / methods*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / immunology*
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / isolation & purification
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Serologic Tests / methods*
  • Tuberculin Test / methods*
  • Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / blood*
  • Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / diagnosis
  • Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / microbiology