Screening of tuberculosis suspected subjects using real-time PCR, TaqMan method; Northeastern Iran

IF 4 3区医学 Q1 INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Journal of Infection and Public Health Pub Date : 2025-08-14 DOI:10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102932

Sanaz Ahmadi Ghezeldasht , Arman Mosavat , Saman Soleimanpour , Seyed Abdolrahim Rezaee , Mohammad Derakhshan

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Abstract

Purpose

Effective and timely tuberculosis (TB) treatment depends on rapid reliable diagnostic techniques and is crucial for controlling global TB. The present study aimed to determine how many TB presumptive patients may have been missed by conventional sputum smear microscopy and culture methods.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted from 2020 to 2021 in northeast Iran. A total of 307 TB presumptive subjects with negative Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining microscopy, and culture tests were evaluated using a lab made real-time PCR (qPCR), TaqMan method. The control group was 21 M. tuberculosis (M.tb) positive subjects from a referral TB center; Northeastern Iran.

Results

All cases in TB-positive control group tested positive by qPCR. Out of the 307 negative culture and smear tests individuals, 50 (13.55 %) tested positive using qPCR. Failure rates for microscopy and culture were higher in urine samples; none were positive in smear and culture tests, but six out of 20 (30 %) were qPCR positive. Lower failure rates for conventional tests were observed in sputum samples, with 18 out of 53, and qPCR detected nine more cases. Furthermore, among 61 unculturable samples, one case was positive using qPCR technique. Overall, qPCR demonstrated a 100 % and 83.7 % sensitivity and specificity, respectively.

Conclusions

In-house qPCR assays using standard reagents, which are generally available can confirm that this method more practical, time-saving, and feasible for TB-suspected individuals, particularly in extrapulmonary forms such as urine, CSF, and paraffin-embedded samples, compared to direct microscopy and culture.

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实时荧光定量PCR、TaqMan法筛查肺结核疑似受试者伊朗东北部

目的有效和及时的结核病治疗依赖于快速可靠的诊断技术，对控制全球结核病至关重要。目前的研究旨在确定传统的痰涂片镜检和培养方法可能遗漏了多少结核病推定患者。方法本横断面研究于2020 - 2021年在伊朗东北部进行。采用实验室自制的实时荧光定量PCR (qPCR) TaqMan法对307例经Ziehl-Neelsen （ZN）染色显微镜和培养试验阴性的结核病推定受试者进行评估。对照组21例 M。来自转诊结核病中心的结核（M.tb）阳性受试者；伊朗东北部。结果结核阳性对照组qPCR结果均为阳性。在307例阴性培养和涂片试验个体中，50例（13.55 %）使用qPCR检测为阳性。尿样镜检和培养失败率较高；涂片和培养试验均无阳性，但20例中有6例（30 %）qPCR阳性。在痰样本中观察到较低的常规检测失败率，53例中有18例，qPCR检测到9例以上。此外，在61份不可培养的样本中，qPCR技术阳性1例。总体而言，qPCR的灵敏度和特异性分别为100 %和83.7 %。结论与直接镜检和培养相比，使用标准试剂进行的室内qPCR检测普遍可用，可以证实该方法对疑似结核病个体，特别是对尿、脑脊液和石蜡包埋样本等肺外形态更为实用、省时和可行。

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来源期刊

Journal of Infection and Public Health PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH -INFECTIOUS DISEASES

CiteScore

13.10

自引率

1.50%

发文量

203

审稿时长

96 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Infection and Public Health, first official journal of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences and the Saudi Association for Public Health, aims to be the foremost scientific, peer-reviewed journal encompassing infection prevention and control, microbiology, infectious diseases, public health and the application of healthcare epidemiology to the evaluation of health outcomes. The point of view of the journal is that infection and public health are closely intertwined and that advances in one area will have positive consequences on the other. The journal will be useful to all health professionals who are partners in the management of patients with communicable diseases, keeping them up to date. The journal is proud to have an international and diverse editorial board that will assist and facilitate the publication of articles that reflect a global view on infection control and public health, as well as emphasizing our focus on supporting the needs of public health practitioners. It is our aim to improve healthcare by reducing risk of infection and related adverse outcomes by critical review, selection, and dissemination of new and relevant information in the field of infection control, public health and infectious diseases in all healthcare settings and the community.