[Use of polarization microscopy in the determination of activity and differential diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis].

45 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, 15 patients with acute pneumonia and 15 healthy controls were examined using polarization microscopy of blood serum and blood serum + tuberculin. The serum from healthy subjects contains optically active structures, while that from patients has also pathological structures. Frequency of detection, quantitative and qualitative composition of pathological structures in tuberculosis are related to the disease phase and decline with the activity inhibition. Examination of native serum is not able to distinguish specific from nonspecific processes in the lungs. The addition of tuberculin to native serum helped detect subclinical tuberculosis. Polarization microscopy of native serum is recommended for control of pulmonary tuberculosis and treatment efficacy, modification with tuberculin may be used as an additional test for determination of the disease activity and for differential diagnosis with acute pneumonia.