Abstract
Prospectively, 162 pleural fluid samples from patients with probable tuberculous pleural effusion were tested by the Xpert MTB/RIF assay and the Bactec MGIT-960 culture system. Of these, 43 (26.5%) were positive in the MGIT-960 culture, and 23 (14.2%), in the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. The sensitivity and specificity of the Xpert MTB/RIF compared with the MGIT-960 culture were 54.8% and 100%, respectively.