Abstract:

tion: Tuberculosis (TB), one of the oldest diseases known to affect humans, isa major cause of preventable death worldwide. This disease, which is caused by bacteria of the mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, usually affects the lungs, although other organs are involved in up to one-third of cases, If property treated, tuberculosis caused by drug-susceptible strains is curable in virtually all cases. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional studywas conducted inthe Department of Microbiology. The sputum specimens of 200 patients were stained by both conventional Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) and fluorochrome staining methods. Results: Out of the total 200 patients 26 were found positive for acid fast bacilli by ZN staining and 45 by Fluorescence staining. It is clear that scores are definitely higher by Fluorescence microscopy.

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