Low-cost rapid detection of rifampicin resistant tuberculosis using bacteriophage in Kampala, Uganda.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Resistance to anti-tuberculosis drugs is a serious public health problem. Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), defined as resistance to at least rifampicin and isoniazid, has been reported in all regions of the world. Current phenotypic methods of assessing drug susceptibility of M. tuberculosis are slow. Rapid molecular methods to detect resistance to rifampicin have been developed but they are not affordable in some high prevalence countries such as those in sub Saharan Africa. A simple multi-well plate assay using mycobacteriophage D29 has been developed to test M. tuberculosis isolates for resistance to rifampicin. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of this technology in Kampala, Uganda.

Methods

In a blinded study 149 M. tuberc

SUBMITTER: Traore H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1779803 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature