American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Jun 2014
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyXpert MTB/RIF as a measure of sputum bacillary burden: variation by HIV status and immunosuppression.
Xpert MTB/RIF cycle threshold values are a measure of sputum mycobacterial burden. Data on the impact of HIV infection and immunosuppression on this measure are limited. ⋯ We observed decreasing bacillary burden with increasing level of immunosuppression as measured by Xpert MTB/RIF cycle threshold values. A cycle threshold value of 28 can be used as a measure of bacterial burden and smear status in a high HIV burden setting.