Diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in cases of pulmonary infections from Jordanian hospitals

The aim of this study is to use the diagnostic utility of smear technique for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical specimens obtained from patients suspected of having pulmonary tuberculosis. A total of 305 respiratory specimens (broncoalveolar lavage, sputum and pleural fluid) were collected from 298 patients having pulmonary infections as bronchitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia and other respiratory diseases. Results revealed that 25 specimens collected from 22 patients were positive (8.2%) by acid fast (AF) smear. Data indicated that the specificity and positive predictive value of the conventional smear assay were 100%, however, the sensitivity of the smear examination was 73.5%. Conventional smear technique actually detected M. tuberculosis in respiratory specimens and it could be applied for early and specific diagnosis of tuberculosis in such patients.