Selvakumar N, Thilothammal N, Paramasivan C N
Tuberculosis Research Centre (ICMR), Madras.
Indian J Med Res. 1996 May;103:250-2.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected in 2 bottles each, from 112 children, examined clinically for tuberculous meningitis (TBM) One was processed by the centrifugation method and the other by the filtration method for the isolation of M. tuberculosis. Of these specimens, 11 and 13 yielded M. tuberculosis by the centrifugation method and the filtration method, respectively. In 7 specimens M. tuberculosis was isolated by both the methods; in 4, only by the centrifugation method, and in 6, only by the filtration method. Using both the methods, 17 (15.2%) of 112 specimens were culture positive for M. tuberculosis. The improvement in the rate of isolation, thus obtained, assumes importance as the confirmation of the diagnosis of TBM in all the clinically suspected cases is always desired. Moreover, the filtration method is simple and inexpensive and it can be carried out even in remote hospitals and the membranes, after filtration, can be transported to central mycobacteriology laboratory for culture of tubercle bacilli.
从112名儿童中各采集两瓶脑脊液样本，对其进行结核性脑膜炎（TBM）的临床检查。其中一瓶采用离心法处理，另一瓶采用过滤法处理，以分离结核分枝杆菌。在这些样本中，分别有11份和13份通过离心法和过滤法培养出结核分枝杆菌。有7份样本通过两种方法均分离出结核分枝杆菌；4份仅通过离心法分离出结核分枝杆菌，6份仅通过过滤法分离出结核分枝杆菌。使用这两种方法，112份样本中有17份（15.2%）结核分枝杆菌培养呈阳性。如此获得的分离率的提高具有重要意义，因为在所有临床疑似病例中始终需要确诊TBM。此外，过滤法简单且成本低廉，甚至在偏远医院也能进行，过滤后的滤膜可运往中央分枝杆菌学实验室用于培养结核杆菌。
