Biomaterial Database

Nitroblue tetrazolium test in bacterial and viral infections. 1977

K B Hellum

The reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) dye by neutrophils from 379 patients with infectious diseases and 268 controls has been examined. The mean NBT score was 29.8% (72.3% positive tests) in the 231 patients with non-tuberculous bacterial infections, 9.7% (28.1% positive tests) in the 135 patients with viral infections 5.3% (1.5% positive tests) in the controls. Positive tests were demonstrated in 1 of 7 patients with tuberculosis and in 4 of 6 with mycoplasma pneumonia. Patients with urinary tract infections or septicemia had the highest percentage of positive tests, particularly when the infections were caused by gram-negative bacteria. In acute bacterial infection, the 176 patients who had not received any antibacterial therapy prior to testing had a significantly higher mean NBT score and proportion (77.8%) of positive tests than the remaining 55 pretreated patients (54.5%). Recent antibiotic treatment seriously invalidates the NBT test results. In acute viral infection, 29 of the 38 positive tests were obtained from patients with acute hepatitis (mean score 20.0%) or infectious mononucleosis (mean score 9.3%). When evaluating the test results, special attention should be paid to patients with hepatitis. Endotoxin stimulated NBT tests disclosed normal enhancement of NBT reduction by neutrophils from the patients and the controls. Cautiously interpreted, the NBT reduction by neutrophils from the patients and the controls. Cautiously interpreted, the NBT test results may be useful as an adjunct in the differential diagnosis of major bacterial and viral infections.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009175	Mycoplasma Infections	Infections with species of the genus MYCOPLASMA.	Eperythrozoonosis,Infections, Mycoplasma,Eperythrozoonoses,Infection, Mycoplasma,Mycoplasma Infection
D009504	Neutrophils	Granular leukocytes having a nucleus with three to five lobes connected by slender threads of chromatin, and cytoplasm containing fine inconspicuous granules and stainable by neutral dyes.	LE Cells,Leukocytes, Polymorphonuclear,Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes,Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils,Neutrophil Band Cells,Band Cell, Neutrophil,Cell, LE,LE Cell,Leukocyte, Polymorphonuclear,Neutrophil,Neutrophil Band Cell,Neutrophil, Polymorphonuclear,Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte,Polymorphonuclear Neutrophil
D009580	Nitroblue Tetrazolium	Colorless to yellow dye that is reducible to blue or black formazan crystals by certain cells; formerly used to distinguish between nonbacterial and bacterial diseases, the latter causing neutrophils to reduce the dye; used to confirm diagnosis of chronic granulomatous disease.	Nitro-BT,Nitrotetrazolium Blue,Tetrazolium Nitroblue,Blue, Nitrotetrazolium,Nitroblue, Tetrazolium,Tetrazolium, Nitroblue
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D003937	Diagnosis, Differential	Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures.	Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D004731	Endotoxins	Toxins closely associated with the living cytoplasm or cell wall of certain microorganisms, which do not readily diffuse into the culture medium, but are released upon lysis of the cells.	Endotoxin
D005069	Evaluation Studies as Topic	Works about studies that determine the effectiveness or value of processes, personnel, and equipment, or the material on conducting such studies.	Critique,Evaluation Indexes,Evaluation Methodology,Evaluation Report,Evaluation Research,Methodology, Evaluation,Pre-Post Tests,Qualitative Evaluation,Quantitative Evaluation,Theoretical Effectiveness,Use-Effectiveness,Critiques,Effectiveness, Theoretical,Evaluation Methodologies,Evaluation Reports,Evaluation, Qualitative,Evaluation, Quantitative,Evaluations, Qualitative,Evaluations, Quantitative,Indexes, Evaluation,Methodologies, Evaluation,Pre Post Tests,Pre-Post Test,Qualitative Evaluations,Quantitative Evaluations,Report, Evaluation,Reports, Evaluation,Research, Evaluation,Test, Pre-Post,Tests, Pre-Post,Use Effectiveness