DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2013.v01i07.002

Pages: 352-356

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a worldwide scourge, infecting one-third of the world’s population. In India, more than 40% of population is infected with TB bacilli with many TB cases remaining undetected due to lack of inexpensive, sensitive and robust diagnostic tests. Diagnosis of pulmonary TB relies upon sputum smear microscopy. The standard two-day method contributes to high patient drop-outs. The present study was undertaken to assess if two spot sputum samples collected on a single day at an hour interval were sufficient to detect AFB in TB suspects and compare microscopy results with the standard method based on older and recent RNTCP guidelines (April 2009). A total of 250 TB suspects were screened for AFB according to RNTCP guidelines and an extra sample was collected on day one, an hour after the first sample was given. Case detection rate was found to be 40.4% and 38% with gold standard and one-day strategy respectively based on older guidelines. By recent guidelines, case detection was found to be 40.4% and 39.6% with two-day and one-day method respectively. The diagnostic process could be made much more efficient and convenient for patients if it could be completed in a single day by examining two same-day specimens which was found to be as effective as two-day strategy.