Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major cause of hospital admission and the most important infectious cause of death [1]. A rapid diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic treatment are essential to reduce the morbidity and mortality from CAP. In countries with a high tuberculosis (TB) burden, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a frequent cause of CAP [2-4], and the differential diagnosis of TB from common bacterial pneumonia is difficult. The varying clinical and radiographic presentation of CAP and TB according to patient age and comorbidity and the low sensitivity of acid-fast bacillus microscopy make it even more difficult to distinguish TB from common bacterial pneumonia [5-7]. Therefore, an adjunct diagnostic method that can determine whether CAP is caused.
