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.
