Rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in pulmonary and extra-pulmonary samples in Casablanca, Morocco

INTRODUCTION: the laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) relies mainly on conventional techniques. However, it either lacks sensitivity or it is time-consuming. This study aims to evaluate the use of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting IS6110 for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) Complex (MTBC) in the routine diagnosis of TB in our laboratory. METHODS: clinical samples were collected from the laboratory of bacteriology at Ibn Rochd University Hospital in Casablanca Morocco. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results were compared to AFB smear and culture on Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) solid media. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value (PPV and NPV) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using GraphPad Prism. RESULTS: on 171 clinical samples, the study showed positivity of microscopy, culture and real-time PCR for M. TB complex as 19%, 31%, and 32% respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for real-time PCR in pulmonary samples were 95.2%, 95.4%, 90.91% and 97.65% respectively. For extra-pulmonary samples, they were: 72.7%, 90.32%, 72.7%, and 90.3%. CONCLUSION: our study shows the effectiveness of using real-time PCR IS6110 in pulmonary and extra pulmonary samples. Future multicentric studies could seek to evaluate the place of this technique on routine diagnosis for better management of TB in Morocco.