Tuberculosis in Indonesia: recent studies on detection and drug susceptibility of mycobacteria in Jakarta.

Sputum specimens from more than 1000 Indonesian tuberculosis suspects were examined by bacteriologic culture, and by bright field and fluorescence microscopy. Two hundred twenty had positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures and of these 68% were positive by fluorescence microscopy. Agreement between culture, both negative and positive, and fluorescence microscopy was 87%. Sensitivity to antituberculous drugs was performed in 209 isolates. Significant resistance to isoniazid, para-amino salicylic acid, and streptomycin was found i.e. 65 (31%), 19 (19%), 54 (26%), respectively. Fluorescence microscopy was a useful method for rapid microscopic confirmation of tuberculosis and was especially valuable in detecting difficult-to-culture organisms.