Diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect mycobacterial antigen and antibody in cerebrospinal fluid.

Enzymed-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect mycobacterial antigen and antimycobacterial antibody in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens of 50 patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) and 50 patients with non-tuberculous neurological diseases (control group). The assay gave no false negative results in 10 culture-positive patients with TBM. Detection of mycobacterial antigen in CSF is more sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of TBM than detection of antibody, ELISA should be considered as one of the alternative methods in the laboratory diagnosis of TBM, particularly in culture-negative patients with TBM.