Smear and Xpert MTB/RIF negative tuberculosis: A lingering dilemma in children and the HIV infected – Two case reports

What is it about?

Confirmatory diagnosis of TB infection has been made easier with the advent of DNA-PCR testing. This novel technology is able to isolate Mycobacteria with higher sensitivity and specificity from various samples. However, the test could fail to identify the presence of the organism in young children and those co-infected with HI, largely due to difficulty in obtaining an appropriate specimen or due to the "pauci-bacillary" nature of TB infection in these groups.

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