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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, March 2002, p. 344-347, Vol. 9, No. 2
1071-412X/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.9.2.344-347.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Immunocytochemical Method for Early Laboratory Diagnosis of Tuberculous Meningitis

M. G. Sumi,1 A. Mathai,1 S. Reuben,1 C. Sarada,2 and V. V. Radhakrishnan1*

Departments of Pathology,1 Neurology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695011, Kerala State, India2

Received 6 June 2001/ Returned for modification 14 August 2001/ Accepted 30 October 2001

A simple immunocytochemical method was standardized for the direct demonstration of mycobacterial antigen in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens of patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM). CSF-cytospin smears were prepared from 22 patients with a clinical diagnosis of TBM and also from an equal number of patients with nontuberculous neurological diseases (disease control). Immunocytological demonstration of mycobacterial antigens in the cytoplasm of monocytoid cells was attempted, by using rabbit immunoglobulin G to Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the primary antibody. Of the 22 CSF-cytospin smears from TBM patients, 16 showed positive immunostaining, while all of the CSF-cytospin smears from the disease control showed negative immunostaining for mycobacterial antigen. The technical aspects of this immunocytological method for the demonstration of mycobacterial antigens are simple, rapid, and reproducible, as well as specific, and therefore can be applied for the early diagnosis of TBM, particularly in patients in whom bacteriological methods did not demonstrate the presence of M. tuberculosis in the CSF.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Pathology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695011, Kerala State, India. Phone: 91-471-524508/94. Fax: 91-491-4464433. E-mail: vvr{at}sctimst.ker.nic.in.

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, March 2002, p. 344-347, Vol. 9, No. 2
1071-412X/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.9.2.344-347.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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