Validity of bioconjugated silica nanoparticles in comparison with direct smear culture and polymerase chain reaction for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum specimens

摘要

BackgroundTuberculosis is a public health problem worldwide, and new easy to perform diagnostic methods with high accuracy are necessary for optimal control of the disease. Recently, fluorescent silica nanoparticles (FSNP) has attracted immense interest for the detection of pathogenic microorganisms. The aim of this study was to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples using bioconjugated FSNP compared with microscopic examination, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nested PCR, and culture as the gold standard.