Detection of tuberculosis in sputum smear images using two one-class classifiers

We present a method for the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in images of Ziehl-Neelsen stained sputum smears obtained using a bright field microscope. We use two stages of classification; the first is a one-class pixel classifier, after which geometric transformation invariant features are extracted. The second stage is a one-class object classifier. Different classifiers are compared; the sensitivity of all tested classifiers is above 90% for the identification of a single bacillus object using all extracted features. Our results may be used to reduce technician involvement in screening for tuberculosis, and will be particularly useful in laboratories in countries with a high burden of tuberculosis.