[Diagnostic features and efficiency of treatment in nonbacteria-isolating patients with pulmonary tuberculosis].

In patients with pulmonary tuberculosis with negative sputum bacterioscopic tests, the diagnosis of tuberculosis may be verified by supplementary studies: sputum inoculation, polymerase chain reaction, medium inoculation, bronchoalveolar lavage, smear microscopy, blood medium inoculation, determination of serum antigens and antibodies. The patients in whom sputum Mycobacterium tuberculosis has not been detectable by bacterioscopy, the diagnosis of tuberculosis established by X-ray tomography and verified by supplementary studies should receive chemotherapy (primarily WHO Category 3 chemotherapy). An algorithm is proposed to diagnose tuberculosis in patients with three negative smear microscopic tests.