[Value of enzyme immunoassay in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of abacillary tuberculosis in children and teenagers ].

Positive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was found in 59.6% of patients of tuberculosis. Positive responses were significantly more frequently detected in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis than in those with intrathoracic lymph nodal tuberculosis (ITLNT) (62.2 +/- 7.4 versus 38.9 +/- 11.8%, respectively; p < 0.05. There was no significance difference in the rate of positive responses in patients with ITLNT (38.9 +/- 11.8%) and healthy individuals inoculated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (17.6 +/- 9.5%). Sixteen (61.5%) patients with pneumonia showed a positive response, which amounted to 38.5% specificity of the method. The findings suggest that EIA may not be used as a screening test for early diagnosis of tuberculosis in children and teenagers and for differential diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis and nonspecific pneumonia. EIA data may be assessed only in combination with other diagnostic criteria.