RESUMO
Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most severe and lethal form of tuberculosis. The rapid bacteriological diagnosis with the conventional techniques is nearly impossible in TBM. There for many patients are treated with anti-TBC drugs without a definitive diagnosis. A more fast and accurate diagnostic method is necessary, in order to initiate the treatment on time to prevent the irreversible neurologic sequel or death. We evaluated the use of two rapid methods: Adenosine deaminase activity (ADA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for IS6110 and mtp40 sequences on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from chronic meningitis patients. For ADA activity > 8.0 U/L the sensibility and specificity was 80% and 91%. PCR sensibility was 80% and specificity 97%. ADA activity and PCR on CSF could be specially useful as complementary tools in the early diagnosis of TBM.