Diagnosis of culture-negative female genital tract tuberculosis with peritoneal involvement by polymerase chain reaction

BACKGROUND: Female genital tract tuberculosis (TB) is a common cause of inf ertility in developing countries. It is a paucibacillary form of the diseas e of which smears and cultures are usually negative. CASE: We were able to use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA to support a clinical and histologic diagnosis of a typical case of cul ture negative female genital tract TB. CONCLUSION: PCR may be a useful adjunct to diagnostic efforts in gynecologi c tuberculosis.