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Previous Volume 329:2036 December 30, 1993 Number 27 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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To the Editor: Conventional methods of detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples, such as microscopy or culture, are either low in sensitivity and specificity or time-consuming. The use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been described as an alternative that allows the amplification and detection of DNA from a single bacterium in a matter of hours¹. Despite over 30 published reports on the detection of M. tuberculosis by means of PCR, little is known about the reliability and reproducibility of this test. The possible consequences for treatment are substantial.

Using a coded panel of samples containing various numbers . . . [Full Text of this Article]

References

Related Letters:

PCR and the Misdiagnosis of Active Tuberculosis
Macher A., Goosby E.
Extract | Full Text  
N Engl J Med 1995; 332:128-129, Jan 12, 1995. Correspondence

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