Abstract: Objective To evaluate the clinical value of PCR-fluorogenic probe hybridzation assay (TaqMan assay) for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical specimens.Methods The sputum specimens of 133 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and 53 patients with respiratory system diseases other than tuberculosis were tested by bacteriology(smear and culture)and TaqMan assay.Results The sensitivities of bacteriology and TaqMan assay for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum specimens of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were 36.1% and 61.7% respectively.The specificity of TaqMan assay in tested clincal specimens was 96.2%.Conclusion The TaqMan assay performed in a hermetially sealed tube is simple,rapid ,anticontaminative, sensitive and specific. It is one of the effective Methods for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Key words: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Polymerase chain reaction, Fluorogenic probe hybridzation