Microscopic detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in direct or processed sputum smears José Luiz de Oliveira Magalhães Juliana Figueiredo da Costa Lima Ana Albertina de Araújo Ilyana Oliveira Coutinho Nilma Cintra Leal Alzira Maria Paiva de Almeida 10.6084/m9.figshare.6272972.v1 https://scielo.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Microscopic_detection_of_Mycobacterium_tuberculosis_in_direct_or_processed_sputum_smears/6272972 <div><p>Abstract INTRODUCTION: Microscopic identification of active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) from direct smears of sputum (DS) is widely used for detection, but has limited sensitivity. Here, we assessed the yield of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) detection in processed sputum smears (PSS). METHODS: Sputum samples were simultaneously analyzed by direct sputum smearing and after chemical treatment and spontaneous sedimentation. RESULTS: Of the 1,719 samples analyzed, 16.4% were positive for AFB in conventional DS and 21.4% in PSS, corresponding to a 30% increase in detection. CONCLUSIONS: Increased sensitivity from analyzing PSS and better safety protocols will contribute to improved detection and control of the disease.</p></div> 2018-05-16 02:47:43 Tuberculosis Sputum processed Smear microscopy