Diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis by immunostaining of tissues with ANTIMPT64 including afb negative cases

Background

Extra Pulmonary Tuberculosis (EPTB) can occur in numerous locations, with the most common sites beingthe lymph nodes, pleura, genitourinary system, bones and joints. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are the most criticalsteps to control the disease, but it is still a challenge due to its paucibacillary nature, vague clinical presentation and siteinvolvement. MPT64 is a unique antigen that has shown high sensitivity and specificity compared to other conventionaltechniques like acid fast stain in its ability to diagnose tuberculosis as well as to differentiate it from non-tuberculousmycobacteria. The objective is to study the utility of Anti-MPT 64 in the diagnosis of extra pulmonary tuberculosis and tocompare the efficacy with Ziehl Neelsen stain. Materials and Methods: The study was done in the Department ofPathology at Narayana Medical College and Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India for a period of 2 years. Total 50 caseswere studied. HandE stain, ZN stain, IHC Anti MPT 64 was done for all cases and data analysis was done.