Abstract: Pleural fluid samples of 78 tuberculous pleuritis were examined by IS1081-PCR and rpoB-PCR. The
results were compared with the culture of the samples in the Loewenstein-Jensen (LJ) medium and Ziehl-
Neelsen (ZN) staining. Of the 78 tuberculous pleuritis, 66(84.6%) were positive in IS1081-PCR, 43(55.1%) in
rpoB-PCR, 17(21.7%) in the LJ and 3(3.8%) in ZN. It is concluded that IS1081-PCR seems to be the most
sensitive method than the others.
