Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26400808›Full record

ArticlePublic health action2014

Tuberculosis diagnostics in Fiji: how reliable is culture?

M Reddy, S Gounder, S A Reid

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Public health action, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 40% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Tuberculosis, Fiji, 2002-2013.Emerging infectious diseases · 2016
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

M ReddyNational Tuberculosis Programme, Ministry of Health, Lautoka, Fiji.
S GounderNational Tuberculosis Programme, Ministry of Health, Lautoka, Fiji.
S A ReidSchool of Population Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Ministry Of Health · FJUniversity of Queensland · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

settingsAcid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy and Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture are the first-line diagnostic tests for tuberculosis (TB). The contamination of TB cultures significantly reduces the reliability of TB diagnosis.

objectiveTo investigate factors associated with TB culture contamination in Fiji, and the relative diagnostic performance of culture compared to microscopy.

designAll tests performed at the Daulakao Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory (DMRL) in Fiji from 2010 to 2012 were reviewed. Study variables included AFB smear and TB culture results, age and type of specimen, referring TB testing centre and patient age.

resultsOf 5708 specimens reviewed, 70% had both AFB smear and culture results recorded; 421 specimens were contaminated; 2.7% of specimens were either degraded or had no result recorded. There was moderate agreement (κ = 0.577) between the two tests. Culture was more likely to be positive at higher AFB smear scores. Culture contamination was associated with distance from the DMRL, sample age and operator-associated factors.

conclusionIncreases in the speed of referral from TB testing centres or the addition of preservatives to sputum specimens may results in less culture contamination. The planned introduction of liquid culture techniques in combination with culture on Ogawa media is likely to increase the sensitivity of TB diagnosis in Fiji.

Indexed as

acid-fast bacilli smear microscopycontaminationFijisensitivityTB culture

Identifiers

PMID26400808
PMCPMC4533818
OpenAlexW1966831316

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.