[Comparative analysis of the results of spinal fluid microbiological study in children and adults who suffered from tuberculous meningitis].

An examination was made of 133 children and 89 adults, aged 3 to 60 years, who had admitted for suspected tuberculous meningitis. The diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis was established in 113 children and 79 adults. In the remaining 20 ill children and 10 adult patients, tuberculous etiology of the disease was rejected. After puncture, spinal fluid was examined by three methods, bacretioscopy, cultivation, and biological assay. Bacterioscopy detected Mycobacteria tuberculosis in 5.3 and 2.5% of ill children and adults, respectively. Types of M. tuberculosis were isolated more frequently in children (n = 66 (58.4%)) than in adults (n = 22 (27.9%)) by bacteriology and in 39 (34.5%) and 15 (30.0%) adults by biological assay. The spinal fluid much more frequently displayed changed forms (L forms) of M. tuberculosis than bacterial ones. They were isolated in 62 (54.9%) and 59 (74.6%) adults by cultivation. On the whole, spinal fluid cultivation for L forms of M. tuberculosis allowed the total detection percentages for an etiological factor to be increased in children and adults, who both suffered from tuberculous meningitis, they accounted for 87.6 and 87.3%, respectively.