Avaliação da reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) e métodos convencionais no diagnóstico da micobacteriose extrapulmonar exceto renal

Abstract

In order to focus on the importance of laboratorial diagnosis of extrapulmonary mycobacteria, except renal, we employed the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Clinical samples (body fluids) were tested by PCR for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) and nontuberculous mycobacteria (MNTB). We compared the results obtained through the PCR with the ones obtained through conventional microbiological methods. The 114 clinical samples were obtained from internal patients or from or in ambulatorial attendance with clinical suspicion of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, except renal. The samples were collected from 2001 to 2003, and ceded to this research by the Laboratório de Microbiologia do Laboratório Central do Hospital Universitário Walter Cantídio (HUWC-UFC), and by the Laboratório Central de Saúde Pública da Secretaria de Saúde do Estado do Ceará (LACEN-CE). The direct microscopy and culture were negative in all the samples. The molecular research, for the Mycobacterium genus was positive in 10 samples, and for the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex was negative in all the samples.