Abstract: Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of smear, 3D, PhaB and PCR to detectMycobacterium tuberculosisin cerebrospinal fluid for tuberculous meningitis.  Methods The positive rates of smear, 3D, PhaB and PCRto detectMycobacterium tuberculosisin cerebrospinal fluid were analyzed in 60 patients with tuberculous meningitis and 30 patients with non-tuberculous meningitis. The sensitivity and specificity of four detection Methods for tuberculous meningitis were also evaluated by statistical analysis. Results The positive rate in tuberculous meningitis group and the other group were 0 both in smear,23.3% and 0 in 3D,23.3% and 26.7% in PhaB and6% and 0 in PCR. The differences of four Methods in different groups were not statistically significant. Thesensitivity and specificity were 23.3% and 100% in 3D, 23.3% and 73.3% in PhaB, 10% and 100% in PCR.  Conclusions The sensitivity of Smear, 3D, PhaB and PCR to detectMycobacterium tuberculosisin celebrospinal fluid was low. It is urgent for laboratorys to develop new Methods to detectMycobacterium tuberculosisin cerebrospinal fluid and to improve the positive rate of new Methods .

Key words: tuberculosis, meningeal/diagnosis, cerebrospinal fluid, Mycobacterium tuberculosis