Clinical suspicion of TB provides important testing information. (Disease watch).In a recent laboratory trial conducted by Antonino Catanzaro, M.D., et al., findings indicated that nucleic acid nucleic acid, any of a group of organic substances found in the chromosomes of living cells and viruses that play a central role in the storage and replication of hereditary information and in the expression of this information through protein synthesis. amplification tests (E-MTD), for complex diagnostic problems like TB, are more accurate than acid-fast bacilli bacilli /ba·cil·li/ (bah-sil´i) plural of bacillus. bacilli see bacillus. (AFB AFB abbr. acid-fast bacillus AFB Acid-fast bacillus, also 1. Aflatoxin B 2. Aorto-femoral bypass ) smear microscopy and are faster than culture. The trial was performed in six urban medical centers and one public health TB clinic. A total of 338 patients with symptoms and signs consistent with active pulmonary TB and complete clinical diagnosis were stratified stratified /strat·i·fied/ (strat´i-fid) formed or arranged in layers. strat·i·fied adj. Arranged in the form of layers or strata. to be at low (<25 percent), intermediate (26 percent to 75 percent) and high (>75 percent) risk of having TB. Sensitivity of the E-MTD test was 83 percent for low, 75 percent for intermediate, and 87 percent for high clinical suspicion of TB. Positive predictive value Positive predictive value (PPV) The probability that a person with a positive test result has, or will get, the disease. Mentioned in: Genetic Testing positive predictive value of the E-MD test was 59 percent low, 100 percent intermediate, and 100 percent high, compared with 36 percent low, 30 percent intermediate and 94 percent high for AFB smear. Corresponding negative predictive values were 99 percent, 91 percent, and 91 percent fo r the E-MTD test versus 95 percent, 71 percent, and 37 percent for the AFB smear. [Graph omitted] [Graph omitted] |
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