HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Long, R Articles by Hershfield, E Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Long, R Articles by Hershfield, E

The impact of HIV on the usefulness of sputum smears for the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

R Long, M Scalcini, J Manfreda, M Jean-Baptiste and E Hershfield

Department of Medicine, Hospital Albert Schweitzer, Haiti.

In a developing country, 289 patients were examined for active pulmonary mycobacterial disease (sputum smear and culture) and HIV infection (serology) to compare the sensitivity and positive predictive value of sputum smears for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with and without antibodies to HIV. Seventy-nine percent of HIV-seronegative vs 66% of HIV-seropositive patients with positive cultures for Mycobacterium tuberculosis were smear positive (P less than .05), and a positive sputum smear predicted the presence of M. tuberculosis in 90% of HIV seronegative vs 80% of HIV seropositive patients (P less than .05). In our opinion, HIV did not significantly compromise the diagnostic utility of the sputum smear.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. N. Peck and D. W. Fitzgerald Cutaneous Anthrax in the Artibonite Valley of Haiti: 1992 2002 Am J Trop Med Hyg, November 1, 2007; 77(5): 806 - 811. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. P. Scott, L. dos Anjos Filho, F. C. de Queiroz Mello, C. G. Thornton, W. R. Bishai, L. S. Fonseca, A. L. Kritski, R. E. Chaisson, and Y. C. Manabe Comparison of C18-Carboxypropylbetaine and Standard N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine-NaOH Processing of Respiratory Specimens for Increasing Tuberculosis Smear Sensitivity in Brazil J. Clin. Microbiol., September 1, 2002; 40(9): 3219 - 3222. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Gounder, F. C. de Queiroz Mello, M. B. Conde, W. R. Bishai, A. L. Kritski, R. E. Chaisson, and S. E. Dorman Field Evaluation of a Rapid Immunochromatographic Test for Tuberculosis J. Clin. Microbiol., June 1, 2002; 40(6): 1989 - 1993. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]