INTRODUCTION Early diagnosis of paucibacillary tuberculosis represents a challenge, even with direct tissue examination. Digital pathology allows the digital analysis of tissues to identify microorganisms. We aim to develop a program to detect and quantify typical and atypical mycobacteria in paraffin-embedded Ziehl-Neelsen-stained tissues. MATERIAL AND METHODS Program development: The building of the program, named Pat-Scan, included pathology, systems engineering, and scientific applications. The iScan Coreo Au scanner® was used, and 9 variables were adjusted. Ten Ziehl-Neelsen-stained samples were fragmented into 2000 images and analyzed to validate the reproducibility of the bacilli images in the tissue, as detected by the software. RESULTS Pat-Scan included software and a scanner that were used to detect and quantify bacilli in paraffin-embedded Ziehl-Neelsen-stained tissues. All samples containing mycobacteria were successfully analyzed by the scanner, and the bacilli could be detected; these results were validated by expert pathologists by microscopy examination, and the presence of bacilli was confirmed in all cases. CONCLUSIONS Pat-Scan allowed the identification and quantification of mycobacteria in paraffin-embedded Ziehl-Neelsen-stained tissues, offering a reproducible diagnostic method that reduces the time for diagnosis and does not affect precision. Further validation is needed for application in the clinical setting.

中文翻译：

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使用数字病理学检测石蜡包埋的 Ziehl-Neelsen 染色组织中的分枝杆菌

引言 少杆菌性结核的早期诊断是一项挑战，即使是直接组织检查也是如此。数字病理学允许对组织进行数字分析以识别微生物。我们的目标是开发一个程序来检测和量化石蜡包埋的 Ziehl-Neelsen 染色组织中的典型和非典型分枝杆菌。材料和方法 程序开发：该程序的构建名为 Pat-Scan，包括病理学、系统工程和科学应用。使用 iScan Coreo Au 扫描仪®，并调整了 9 个变量。十个 Ziehl-Neelsen 染色的样本被分成 2000 张图像，并进行分析以验证组织中杆菌图像的可重复性，如软件所检测到的。结果 Pat-Scan 包括用于检测和量化石蜡包埋的 Ziehl-Neelsen 染色组织中的杆菌的软件和扫描仪。所有含有分枝杆菌的样品均通过扫描仪成功分析，可检测到杆菌；这些结果由专家病理学家通过显微镜检查验证，并且在所有病例中都证实了杆菌的存在。结论 Pat-Scan 允许鉴定和量化石蜡包埋的 Ziehl-Neelsen 染色组织中的分枝杆菌，提供了一种可重复的诊断方法，可减少诊断时间且不影响精度。在临床环境中的应用需要进一步验证。这些结果由专家病理学家通过显微镜检查验证，并且在所有病例中都证实了杆菌的存在。结论 Pat-Scan 允许鉴定和量化石蜡包埋的 Ziehl-Neelsen 染色组织中的分枝杆菌，提供了一种可重复的诊断方法，可减少诊断时间且不影响精度。在临床环境中的应用需要进一步验证。这些结果由专家病理学家通过显微镜检查验证，并且在所有病例中都证实了杆菌的存在。结论 Pat-Scan 允许鉴定和量化石蜡包埋的 Ziehl-Neelsen 染色组织中的分枝杆菌，提供了一种可重复的诊断方法，可减少诊断时间且不影响精度。在临床环境中的应用需要进一步验证。