A critical look at the diagnostic value of culture-confirmation in childhood tuberculosis

SummaryObjectivesTo describe the clinical presentation, delay in diagnosis and treatment initiation, and outcome of culture-confirmed childhood tuberculosis.MethodsRetrospective study of children < 13 years of age at Tygerberg Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa with culture-confirmed tuberculosis seen January 2002–June 2003. Data were collected by review of hospital and clinic records.ResultsCulture-confirmed tuberculosis was diagnosed in 184 children, median age 36 months; 26 (14.1%) were diagnosed clinically and treatment was started before admission. Tuberculosis was newly diagnosed in 158 children; 127 (80.4%) were clinically diagnosed and 31 (19.6%) were diagnosed only after culture result was known (culture-diagnosed). The median time from admission to diagnosis was 1 day (1–21 days) for clinically diagnosed, and 73 (34–178 days) for culture-diagnosed children. Treatment was initiated by hospital physicians in all 127 clinically diagnosed and 14/31 culture-diagnosed children. Of the 17 culture-diagnosed children not started on treatment, 4 were subsequently diagnosed on clinical grounds and treated at clinic level, 8 were found in good health, 4 failed to follow-up and 1 neonate died before the culture result was known.ConclusionsIn symptomatic children, the vast majority could be confidently diagnosed on clinical grounds. However, culture-confirmation remains valuable to establish drug susceptibility.