New Test Found to Detect TB in Less than 2 Hours
A new reliable and faster way of detecting tuberculosis (TB) and drug-resistant TB bacteria in patients has been developed by researchers led by Dr. David Alland of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in collaboration with a diagnostics company, Cepheid. This new advanced test can lead to earlier diagnosis and better targeted treatment of this disease.
According to the National Institutes of Health, about 1.8 million people die from TB each year. Drug-resistant TB is becoming a threat worldwide as well. This happens when a case of tuberculosis do not respond well to common drugs used to treat the condition.
The new test called Xpert MTB/RIF can effectively detect the TB-causing bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and also resistance to rifampin (RIF), one of the most common treatments.
The scientists note that the new test can make detection of TB and drug resistance possible even in a single clinic visit and perhaps treatment can commence immediately. Alland says, “This is a major advance over other rapid TB detection methods, which are complex, labor-intensive, and technically challenging.”
The research is described in the September 1, 2010, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has supported the development of this diagnostics technology since 2002.
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