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BMJ 2004; 328 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7448.1124 (Published 06 May 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;328:1124

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Early diagnosis of tuberculosis-reported from third world country

A research letter from India.

E-mail: pramanik_dr@hotmail.com

Abstract: Tuberculosis is re-emerging as a dreaded killer disease in
recent years. Due to delayed diagnosis, aggravation of this disease is a
common feature. Slow growth rate of tubercle bacilli in vitro is a
bottleneck problem. Several attempts have been made till recently to
enrich the conventional L -J medium for accelerating the bacillary growth
rate in vitro. Thyroid hormone induces cellular gene transcription and
promotes protein synthesis. Effect of thyroid hormone in acceleration of
bacterial growth rate was reported earlier. Thyroxine supplemented L-J
medium was used in our study for in vitro culture of tubercle bacilli.

Possibilities of contamination of bacillary seeds by rapid grower species
of Mycobacteria were eliminated after related biochemical tests. Tubercle
bacillary growth rate acceleration was observed in L-J medium and Sauton
medium following thyroxine supplementation (4ug/ml and 8ug/ml
respectively).). Use of thyroxine supplemented L-J medium for culture of
tubercle bacilli may be helpful for early laboratory diagnosis of
suspected tubercular patients as well as for antitubercular drug
sensitivity tests.

Key words: L-J medium, Thyroxine, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Abstract from BMJ-16th Nov'2003.

References:

1.Alison Rodger, Shabbar Jaffar, Stuart Paynter, Andrew
Hayward, Jacqui Carless, and Helen Maguire Delay in the diagnosis of
pulmonary tuberculosis, London, 1998-2000: analysis of surveillance data
BMJ 2003; 326: 909-910.

2.Dr.J.Pramanik et al., Detection of tubercular antibody and antigen
in sera of bone and joint tuberculosis.Ind.J.Clin.Bioch.2000,15(1),22-28.

3.Dr.S.K.Biswas, Effect of thyroxine on bacterial growth.
Lancet;1975, 2,716.

4.Dr.J.Pramanik et al., Increased yield of excretory-secretory
antigen with thyroxine supplementation in in vitro culture of tubercle
bacilli. Ind. J. Tub.1997,44, 185-190.

5. J.Robert,A. North Angelo, Izzo: Mycobacterial virulence. Virulent
strain of mycobacterium tuberculosis have faster in vivo doubling times
and are better equipped to resisting growth inhibiting functions of
macrophages in the presence and absence of specific immunity. J.Exp.Med:
1993, 177,1723

Competing interests:
None declared

Competing interests: No competing interests

12 May 2004
Prof(Dr)Jogenananda Pramanik.MD.
Professor,Dept of Biochemistry
College of Medicine,Internation American University,St.Lucia,West Indies.