Accuracy of cell-free Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA testing in pleural effusion for diagnosing tuberculous pleurisy: a multicenter cross-sectional study.
Wei-Li Du, Jian-Qin Liang, Xin-Ting Yang, Cheng-Jun Li, Qing-Feng Wang, Wen-Ge Han, Ye Li, Zhi-Hui Li, Dong-Mei Zhao, Fu-Dong Xu, Yan-Xiao Rong, Xiao-Jing Cui, Hui-Min Li, Feng Wang, Peng-Chong Liu, Dong-Lin Guo, Hai-Bin Wang, Xu-Ya Xing, Jia-Lu Che, Zi-Chen Liu, Na-Na Zhang, Kun Li, Yi Liu, Li Wang, Hai-Bo Wang, Nan-Ying Che
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: The diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy (TP) presents a significant challenge due to the low bacterial load in pleural effusion (PE) samples. Cell-free Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA (cf-TB) in PE samples is considered an optimal biomarker for diagnosing TP. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of cf-TB testing across diverse research sites with a relatively large sample size.
Methods: Patients suspected of TP and presenting with clinical symptoms and radiological evidence of PE were consecutively enrolled by treating physicians from 11 research sites across 6 provinces in China between April 2020 and August 2022. Following centrifugation, sediments obtained from PE were used for Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) and mycobacterial culture, while the supernatants were subjected to cf-TB testing. This study employed a composite reference standard to definite TP, which was characterized by any positive result for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) through either PE culture, PE Xpert, or pleural biopsy.
Results: A total of 1412 participants underwent screening, and 1344 (95.2%) were subsequently enrolled in this study. Data from 1241 (92.3%) participants were included, comprising 284 with definite TP, 677 with clinically diagnosed TP, and 280 without TP. The sensitivity of cf-TB testing in definite TP was 73.6% (95% CI 68.2-78.4), significantly higher than both Xpert (40.8%, 95% CI 35.3-46.7, P < 0.001) and mycobacterial culture (54.2%, 95% CI 48.4-59.9, P < 0.001). When clinically diagnosed TP was incorporated into the composite reference standard for sensitivity analysis, cf-TB testing showed a sensitivity of 46.8% (450/961, 95% CI 43.7-50.0), significantly higher than both Xpert (116/961, 12.1%, 95% CI 10.2-14.3, P < 0.001) and mycobacterial culture (154/961, 16.0%, 95% CI 13.8-18.5, P < 0.001). The specificities of cf-TB testing, Xpert, and mycobacterial culture were all 100.0%.
Conclusions: The performance of cf-TB testing is significantly superior to that of Xpert and mycobacterial culture methods, indicating that it can be considered as the primary diagnostic approach for improving TP detection. Trial registration The trial was registered on Chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR2000031680, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=49316 ).
期刊介绍:
Military Medical Research is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that aims to share the most up-to-date evidence and innovative discoveries in a wide range of fields, including basic and clinical sciences, translational research, precision medicine, emerging interdisciplinary subjects, and advanced technologies. Our primary focus is on modern military medicine; however, we also encourage submissions from other related areas. This includes, but is not limited to, basic medical research with the potential for translation into practice, as well as clinical research that could impact medical care both in times of warfare and during peacetime military operations.