New Test Can Diagnose Tuberculosis in Under Two Hours

An automated assay designed for use in Third World regions rapidly and accurately detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and resistance to rifampin, according to a report published online Sept. 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine. In a multicenter, prospective trial in South Africa, Peru, India, and Azerbaijan involving 1,730 patients suspected of having TB, the Xpert MTB/RIF correctly identified 72% of patients whose sputum smears were negative, as well as 98% of those with positive smears. It also correctly identified 98% of rifampin-resistant bacteria and 98% of rifampin-sensitive bacteria, said Dr. Catharina C. Boehme of the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), Geneva, and her associates.