DETECTION OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS COMPLEX BY REAL-TIME PCR IN PERICARDIAL FLUID AT IBN ROCHD UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL-CASABLANCA: -A CASE REPORT-

The diagnosis of pericardial tuberculosis may be difficult and elusive. Rapid treatment can be lifesaving but requires an accurate diagnosis. Conventional diagnostic methods are time-consuming and have low sensitivity, making bacteriological confirmation of the disease very difficult. Hereby, we report a case of a 27-year-old man who presented dyspnea with physical deterioration and anterior chest pain. The use of Real-time PCR for M. tuberculosis complex detection confirmed pericardial tuberculosis. The patient had an excellent response to a three- drug combination antituberculosis regimen and 1 year later was asymptomatic, without evidence of constrictive pericarditis.