ArticleBMC infectious diseases2023
Evaluation of different diagnostic methods for spinal tuberculosis infection.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Comparative diagnostic performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing and conventional microbial culture in spinal infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- Diagnostic accuracy of GeneXpert in the diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Narra J · 2024Pooled it
- Recommendations of the International Consensus Meeting (ICM) 2025 on Spinal Infections: Part B Tubercular Spondylodiscitis.Global spine journal · 2026Article
- AO Spine Clinical Practice Recommendations for the Management of Spinal Tuberculosis.Global spine journal · 2026Review
- Development and validation of a nomogram for differential diagnosis of pyogenic spondylitis and tuberculous spondylitis in China: a multicenter retrospective study.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Clinical utility of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in diagnosing spinal infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Review
- The diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing versus traditional microbiological testing in native pyogenic spinal infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis.North American Spine Society journal · 2026Review
- C-arm-guided percutaneous biopsy combined with mNGS: a dual-modality strategy for optimizing diagnosis and targeted management of spinal infections.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Review
- Clinical outcomes of individualized surgical pathways in elderly patients with spinal tuberculosis: a retrospective cohort study in eastern China.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Review
- Combined posterior-anterior surgery with autologous bone grafting for multi-segmental spinal tuberculosis.European journal of medical research · 2025Article
- A Rare Case of Multilevel Pott's Disease With Coexistent Pulmonary Cavitary Tuberculosis and Neurogenic Bladder.Cureus · 2025Article
- Bone and joint tuberculosis: clinical manifestation, diagnostic techniques and drug resistance analysis.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- Gout of the iliopsoas muscle combined with tuberculosis infection causing persistent fever: a case report and literature review.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Surgical treatment of spinal tuberculosis: an updated review.European journal of medical research · 2024Review
- A diagnostic model for differentiating tuberculous spondylodiscitis from pyogenic spondylodiscitis based on pathogen-confirmed patients.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2024Article
- The diagnostic value of hydroxyproline combined with tuberculosis infection T lymphocyte spot assay in pulmonary tuberculosis.Journal of thoracic disease · 2024Article
- Progressive Thoracolumbar Tuberculosis in a Young Male: Diagnostic, Therapeutic, and Surgical Insights.Infectious disease reports · 2024Article
- First whole genome sequencing data of aData in brief · 2024Article
- Tuberculous Spondylitis and Paravertebral Abscess Formation Following Vertebroplasty: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.Infection and drug resistance · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
background and purposeTuberculosis (TB) is the most fatal infectious disease worldwide. Approximately 24.6% of tuberculosis cases are extrapulmonary and predominantly affect the spine. It is difficult to diagnose spinal TB (STB). We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT)-960 culture, T-SPOT.TB, Xpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB)/resistance to rifampin (RIF), and Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing (mNGS) to detect STB.
methodsWe assessed 126 patients presumed to have STB using these four methods. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated using clinical diagnosis as a reference.
resultsOf the patients, 41 were diagnosed with STB and 85 with non-STB. In the STB group, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the MGIT-960 culture were 29.3% (12/41), 100% (85/85), 100% (12/12), and 74.6% (85/114), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of T-SPOT.TB were 92.7% (38/41), 82.4% (70/85), 58.5% (31/53), and 95.9% (70/73), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay were 53.7% (22/41), 100% (85/85), 100% (22/22), and 81.7% (85/104), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of mNGS were 39.0% (16/41), 98.8% (84/85), 94.1% (16/17), and 77.1% (84/109), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of mNGS + Xpert MTB/RIF were 73.2% (30/41), 100% (85/85), 96.8% (30/31), and 72.0% (85/118), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the mNGS + T-spot assay were 97.6% (40/41), 100% (85/85), 67.9% (38/56), and 75.9% (85/113), respectively. Moreover, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of T-spot + Xpert MTB/RIF were 95.1% (39/41), 100% (85/85), 72.2% (39/54), and 81.0% (85/105), respectively.
conclusionsT-SPOT.TB is the most effective method for diagnosing STB; however, Xpert MTB/RIF is more reliable and can detect RIF resistance. Clinicians can use mNGS to identify pathogens in patients with spinal infections; these pathogens appeared to be more meaningful in guiding the clinical management of patients in the non-STB group. The combination of Xpert MTB/RIF and mNGS can improve the early diagnosis rate and drug resistance detection, reduce the diagnostic cycle, and provide early targeted anti-TB treatment for patients with STB.
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