Molecular techniques in the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the detection of drug resistance

M. Caws*, Francis Drobniewski

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    44 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Early diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis disease is crucial in initiating treatment and interrupting the train of transmission. The increasing incidence of MDR TB worldwide has also placed emphasis on the need for early detection of drug resistance, particularly to isoniazid and rifampicin. Molecular diagnostic techniques and automated culture systems have reduced turn-around times in the modern mycobacteriology laboratory, and the continuing evaluation and development of such techniques is increasing the use of molecular technology in developed nations. Simple phenotypic methods for the detection of resistance to first-line drugs and genotypic kit-form assays for detection of rifampicin resistance have been developed that have become key tools in the containment of MDR TB.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)138-145
    Number of pages8
    JournalAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences
    Volume953
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2001

    Bibliographical note

    Copyright:
    Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

    Keywords

    • Drug resistance
    • Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
    • Mycobacterium tuberculosis
    • TB microbiology

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