Challenges in diagnosing tuberculosis in children: a comparative study from Sudan

• The diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in children is challenging due to insufficient specimen material and the scarcity of bacilli in specimens.
• This study aimed to evaluate diagnostic methods for diagnosing childhood TB in Sudan.
• The situation regarding pediatric TB in Sudan and its prevalence are discussed, since Sudan is known as one of the developing countries that suffers from the emergence of such fatal disease due to the lack of policies and regulations to control outbreaks of community-based infections.

SummaryObjectivesThe diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in children is challenging due to insufficient specimen material and the scarcity of bacilli in specimens. This study aimed to evaluate methods for diagnosing TB in children in Sudan.MethodsPatients (N = 197) were subjected to the tuberculin skin test (TST). Gastric lavage or sputum specimens were then collected, processed, and cultured as per standard procedures.ResultsCulture on Löwenstein–Jensen medium, the reference standard, revealed growth in 16.2% of the specimens. Comparative analysis showed that 43.7% were positive for the TST (sensitivity 100%, specificity 67.3%), 8.1% were positive by Ziehl–Neelsen stain (sensitivity 43.8%, specificity 98.8%), 11.2% by auramine stain (sensitivity 56.3%, specificity 98.8%), and 17.8% were positive for PCR amplification of the IS6110 sequence (sensitivity 100%, specificity 98.8%).ConclusionsIt is concluded that whilst TST and IS6110 achieved 100% sensitivity based on the reference standard of culture, the latter was more specific. The TST is recommended for routine diagnosis and the use of PCR for particular cases, depending on the facilities and the urgency.