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Value of smear and PCR in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in culture positive pulmonary tuberculosis

Depts of ¹ Pulmonary Medicine, ² Radiology, and ³ Bacteriology Laboratory, University Hospital Basel, Basel, and ⁴ Respiratory Medicine, Hospital Barmelweid, Barmelweid, Switzerland.

CORRESPONDENCE: P. N. Chhajed, Pulmonary Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031 Basel, Switzerland. Fax: 41 612654587. E-mail: pchhajed{at}uhbs.ch

Keywords: Bronchoscopy, culture, PCR, smear, sputum, tuberculosis

Received: April 18, 2005
Accepted July 26, 2005

At present, further investigations are needed in patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and either negative sputum smear or without sputum. The aim of the present study was to analyse the yield of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) smear and PCR in patients with confirmed pulmonary TB.

Patients with a positive culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in sputum or BALF were analysed over 5 yrs.

In total, 90 out of 230 (39%) patients with culture-positive pulmonary TB had a positive sputum smear, and 120 patients underwent bronchoscopy. BALF smear was positive in 56 (47%), BALF PCR in 93 (78%) patients, and BALF smear and/or PCR was positive in 83%. In total, 71 patients who underwent bronchoscopy and had complete clinical records were further analysed. BALF (smear or Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex-PCR) allowed a rapid diagnosis in 10 (59%) out of 17 patients who had a negative sputum smear, and 49 (91%) out of 54 patients without sputum production. Of these 71 patients, 12 (17%) were only culture positive. Rapid diagnosis of pulmonary TB by smear and/or PCR was made in 190 out of 210 patients (90%) in sputum or BALF.

In conclusion, combined use of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid smear and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex-PCR has a good diagnostic yield in patients with sputum smear-negative tuberculosis or without sputum production.

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