Effect of history of tuberculosis on specificity of Xpert MTB/RIF

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of mortality among infectious diseases. In 2018, 1.5 million people died due to TB [1]. Early diagnosis of TB is key in achieving WHO End TB targets, and molecular diagnostic tests have been developed. However, molecular tests cannot differentiate between viable and non-viable bacteria [2, 3], leading to challenges in the interpretation of positive test results in patients with recent TB.

Source: European Respiratory Journal - September 23, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Haraka, F., Schumacher, S. G., Ross, A., Mantsoki, A., Gagneux, S., Reither, K., Denkinger, C. M. Tags: Original Articles: Research letters Source Type: research