LABORATORY Flashcards
refer to bacteriological diagnosis to confirm TB; requires collection of the necessary specimens for testing, performing the test, and making the
diagnosis based on the results.
Primary diagnostic tools
Once a presumptive TB case is identified by symptom-based screening or by chest Xray, diagnosis through [?] must be conducted.
bacteriologic confirmation
shall be the primary diagnostic test for PTB and EPTB in adults and children.
Xpert MTB/RIF
who are at high risk for Multidrug-resisant TB (MDRTB) shall be referred for Xpert MTB/ RIF testing.
All presumptive TB patients
shall be the alternative diagnostic test if Xpert is not accessible. Unavailability of Xpert MTB/RIF test shall not be a deterrent to diagnose TB disease bacteriologically.
Smear microscopy or loop mediated TB LAMP
may be utilized to process large sample loads especially in ACF activities, but not for children, PLHIV and MDR-TB risk groups.
TB LAMP
[?], patients shall be evaluated by the health facility physician who shall decide on clinical diagnosis
based on best clinical judgment.
If bacteriologic testing is negative or not available/accessible
[?] practices and procedures, containment equipment and facilities are required for non-aerosol-producing manipulations of clinical specimens such as preparation of acid-fast smears.
Biosafety Level 2
must be conducted in a Class I or II biological safety cabinet.
All aerosol-generating activities
[?] practices, containment equipment and facilities are required for laboratory activities in the propagation and manipulation of cultures of M. tuberculosis and M. bovis.
Biosafety Level 3
for screening are rapid, sensitive molecular tests for detecting TB.
Molecular WHO-recommended rapid diagnostics (mWRD)
Currently, mWRD available in the country and will be utilized by the National Tuberculosis Control Program( NTP) are:
- Xpert MTB/RIF (Cepheid, USA)
- TB LAMP (Eiken Chemical, Japan)
- Line Probe Assay (LPA)
B. Conventional tests
- Direct Sputum Smear Microscopy (DSSM)
- Cultural method
- Biochemical tests
an automated molecular a s s a y b a s e d o n t h e
extraction and amplification of genetic material in clinical
specimens.
Xpert MTB/RIF (Cepheid, USA)
used for the rapid and direct detection of MTBC; and simultaneously detects genes that encode rifampin
resistance.
Xpert MTB/RIF (Cepheid, USA)
Specimens for Xpert MTB/RIF test and corresponding volume
Sputum
Respiratory specimen other than sputum
Non-respiratory
Spot (at time of consultation) sputum collected by expectoration
Sputum
Other [?] and [?] can only be submitted to specifically designated laboratories equipped with certified biosafety cabinets such as in TB culture laboratories.
fluid aspirates and biopsy specimens
[?] are currently not accepted specimens for Xpert MTB/RIF testing.
Blood, urine and stools
a manual molecular assay to detect MTBC based on LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) techniques, a unique temperature-independent technique for amplifying DNA. It requires less than 1 hour to perform and can be read with the naked eye under ultraviolet light.
TB LAMP (Eiken Chemical, Japan)
can replace smear microscopy, especially in remote areas.
TB LAMP (Eiken Chemical, Japan)
it cannot detect rifampicin resistance and there is limited evidence of performance in comparison to Xpert MTB/RIF in children and people living with HIV (PLHIV) who have more smear negative pulmonary TB.
TB LAMP (Eiken Chemical, Japan)
It is family of DNA stripbased tests that determine the drug resistance profile of a MTBC through the pattern
of binding of amplicons ( D N A a m p l i f i c a t i o n
p r o d u c t s ) t o p r o b e s targeting the most common r e s i s t a n c e a s s o c i a t e d mutations to first- and second-line agents.
Line Probe Assay (LPA)
It is used for rapid detection o f d r u g r e s i s t a n c e t o rifampicin and isoniazid.
Line Probe Assay (LPA)
• It is recommended for direct testing of smear positive specimens (direct testing) or a cultured isolate of MTBC (indirect testing).
Line Probe Assay (LPA)
refers to the staining of AFB in direct smears of unconcentrated sputum specimen
Direct Sputum Smear Microscopy (DSSM)
• It can be performed either by brightfield microscopy or fluorescence microscopy.
Direct Sputum Smear Microscopy (DSSM)
• It serves as a basis for the diagnosis of TB cases. This is also used:
a. to monitor progress of patients with TB while they are on anti-TB treatment; and,
b. confirm cure at the end of treatment in drug sensitive TB cases.
Direct Sputum Smear Microscopy (DSSM)
Two (2) expectorated sputum specimens (3-5 ml) collected by expectoration (within 3 days, at most)
- First specimen (spot) at the time of consultation and second specimen after at least hour (spotspot one hour apart), or
- Spot early-morning specimens
- Follow-up within three days if patient fails to submit a second specimen unless the first specimen already tests positive for acid-fast bacillus (AFB) in which case the second specimen will not be necessary.
Optimum number of sputum for the test and corresponding volume required for DSSM
• For DSSM, examine the specimen to see that it is not just saliva. Mucus from the nose and throat, and saliva from the mouth are not good specimens.
Quality of sputum for DSSM
• Sputum is purulent, mucoid, or may be blood stained.
Quality of sputum for DSSM
• Microscopically, it will show greater than 25 WBC/LPO or 5 WBC/OIO, and presence of alveolar macrophages (dust cells).
Quality of sputum for DSSM
• For diagnosis of EPTB, facilities with the necessary capability can collect body fluid samples or tissue
biopsy sample from the suspicious site. Refer if necessary.
Extrapulmonary specimens
• It has been an adopted a policy that all EPTB cases should undergo a DSSM if feasible before
treatment so as not to miss out the potentially more contagious pulmonary forms of the disease. This
was also borne out of the realization that majority of extrapulmonary TB cases emanated from the a
pulmonary focus as well.
Extrapulmonary specimens
i. Label the slide.
ii. Make a smear with a loop or applicator stick.
iii. Spread the specimen by repeated coil type over an area of 3 cm long by 2 cm wide .
iv. Air-dry.
v. Heat-fix the smear.
Smear preparation
Two (2) types of staining procedures:
i. Carbol fuchsin-based staining
- Ziehl-Neelsen stain (hot method) - MOST COMMON
- Kinyoun stain (cold method)
ii. Fluorochrome staining
Staining and microscopic examination
A. Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clumps stained with [?] (1000x). Note the leukocytes in the background
B. Mycobacterium tuberculosis in single arrangement stained with [?] (1000x). The beaded appearance (due to non-acid-fast metachromatic Much’s granules) is notable.
C. Mycobacterium tuberculosis with [?] (400x)
A. Ziehl Neelsen acid fast stain
B. Kinyoun acid-fast stain
C. fluorochrome stain
Carbol fuchsin (hot stain)
3% acid-alcohol
0.3% Methylene blue
Ziehl-Neelsen Method
Carbol fuchsin (cold stain)
3% acid-alcohol
Malachite green
Kinyoun Method
Brightfield microscope,
1000x magnification
Ziehl-Neelsen Method
Kinyoun Method
Mycobacteria appear as red bacilli on blue background. Typical morphological features: slender, curved, beaded rods in various arrangements, often in clumps. Nonmycobacteria appear blue.
Ziehl-Neelsen Method
Mycobacteria appear as red bacilli on green background. Typical morphological features: slender, curved, beaded rods in various arrangements, often in clumps. Nonmycobacteria appear green.
Kinyoun Method
Read along two (2) imaginary horizontal lines from one end to the other end of the smear or three (3) vertical lines which correspond to 300 oil immersion fields to report as “0”.
Read at least one (1) imaginary horizontal line if the reading is positive.
Ziehl-Neelsen Method
Kinyoun Method
Auramine O with or without Rhodamine B
- 5% acid-alcohol
- 5% Postasium permanganate
Fluorochrome Staining
Fluorescence
microscope,
250-450x magnification
Fluorochrome Staining
Mycobacteria appear as slender rods that fluoresce bright yellow (Auramine O) or yellowred (Auramine ORhodamine B) against a dark background.
Non-acid-fast organisms will not fluoresce or may appear a pale yellow,
Fluorochrome Staining
Read one length of the smear (about 30 or 40
fields).
Fluorochrome Staining
Interpretation of results
i. Interpret the results of the two specimens. Write the reading (IUATLD/WHO Scale) and final laboratory diagnosis.
Direct Sputum Smear Microscopy (DSSM)
ii. Final laboratory diagnoses are reported as follows:
- [?] = at least one sputum smear is positive for AFB (+n, 1+, 2+, 3+)
- [?] = both sputum smears are negative for AFB.
Positive
Negative
Advantages of AFB Smear Microscopy:
- Simple convenient test.
- Requires minimal infrastructure and equipment.
- Highly accurate, inexpensive and fast.
- Accessible to the majority of patients.
- Prioritizes infectious cases
Limitations of AFB Smear Microscopy:
• Does not distinguish between viable and dead organisms.
• Follow-up specimens from patients on treatment may be smear positive yet culture negative.
• Limited sensitivity.
• High bacterial load >3000–5000 AFB /mL is required for detection.
• Limited specificity
– All mycobacteria are acid fast.
– Does not provide species identification.
• Cannot perform Drug Susceptibility Testing (DST).
Specimens are treated with agents to kill or reduce contaminating bacteria that can rapidly outgrow mycobacteria, and to liquefy mucus so that mycobacteria are released from mucin and/or cells. After digestion and decontamination, mycobacteria are concentrated, usually by high speed centrifugation (RCF of 3,000 g for 15 minutes is optimal for the recovery of mycobacteria) to enhance their detection by culture, and also for acid-fast staining.
Digestion and Decontamination of Specimens
Specimens requiring digestion and decontamination: Mucoidal specimens and/or specimens with normal flora: sputum, gastric lavages, urine, fece
Digestion and Decontamination of Specimens
Specimens NOT requiring digestion and decontamination: Tissues or body fluids collected aseptically, CSF, pleural fluid, joint fluid.
Digestion and Decontamination of Specimens
Traditional digestant and decontaminant. When the
reagent is diluted with an equal volume of
specimen, it provides a final concentration of 2%
NaOH, in which it is most effective as a mucolytic
agent. However, as a decontaminating agent, this
concentration is toxic to both contaminants and to
some mycobacteria. Time of exposure must be
carefully controlled to no more than 15 minutes.
4% NaOH
NALC is a mucolytic agent, to which an equal
volume of 4% NaOH is added. When the reagent is
diluted with an equal volume of specimen, it
provides effective digestion and decontamination
with a final concentration of 1% NaOH, which is less
toxic to mycobacteria. Limit exposure to NaOH to 15
minutes.
N-acetyl-L- cysteine (NALC) + 2% NaOH
Very effective mucolytic agent used with 2% NaOH.
Trade name of dithiothreitol is Sputolysin. Reagent
is more expensive than NALC. Limit exposure to
NaOH to 15 minutes.
Dithiothreitol + 2% NaOH
Preferred by laboratories that cannot carefully
control time of exposure to decontamination
solution. Zephiran should be neutralized by lecithin
and not inoculated to egg-based culture medium.
Trisodium phosphate, 13% + Benzalkonium chloride (ZephiranTM)
Can be used for decontamination of specimens
when exposure time cannot be completely
controlled. It is not as effective as TSP-Zephiran
mixture.
Trisodium phosphate, 13%
Most useful in processing specimens that contain
Pseudomonas aeruginosa as contaminant.
5% Oxalic acid
Effective as decontamination solution for sputum
specimens mailed from out-patient clinics. Tubercle
bacilli have survived 8-day transit without significant
loss.
Cetylpyridinium chloride, 1% + 2% NaCl