Editor,—We read with interest the study of Zaret al on the usefulness of sputum induction in infants and young children for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.1 Bacteriological confirmation of pulmonary tuberculosis in infants and young children remains a problem because it is difficult to obtain sputum. Therefore, in young children, gastric lavage is the recommended method for the collection of respiratory secretions.2 Since the number of tubercle bacilli and the frequency of positive cultures in specimens recovered by gastric lavage are usually small, gastric washings are ideally performed on three consecutive mornings to maximise the yield.3

In this prospective study, children with …