[Improvement of diagnostics and methods of determining effectiveness of chemotherapy against tuberculosis in children].

Altered Mycobacterial forms, particularly granular forms, in the sputum and blood, as well as the serum level of tuberculosis antibodies and mycobacterial antigens by enzyme immunoassay are proposed to be determined as additional criteria for diagnosing active primary tuberculosis in children. The diagnostic value of these indices is accounted for by that they are more frequently detected and their levels are significantly higher than the similar ones in healthy, tuberculosis-infected children, and tuberculin-negative, earlier BCG vaccinated children. By taking into account a reduction in the detection rate of granular forms of Mycobacteria in the sputum and blood and altered levels of tuberculosis antibodies during chemotherapy, which were observed in parallel to the positive clinical and X-ray changes, these tests may be recommended for evaluation of the efficiency of treatment for primary abacillary tuberculosis in children.