Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesCharacterization of Genomic Variants Associated with Resistance to Bedaquiline and Delamanid in Naive Mycobacterium tuberculosis Clinical StrainsThe role of mutations in genes associated with phenotypic resistance to bedaquiline (BDQ) and delamanid (DLM) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBc) strains is poorly characterized. A clear understanding of the genetic variants’ role is crucial to guide the development of molecular-based drug susceptibility testing (DST). In this work, we analyzed all mutations...
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesDNA Thermo-Protection Facilitates Whole-Genome Sequencing of Mycobacteria Direct from Clinical SamplesMycobacterium tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from bacterial infection. Improved rapid diagnosis and antimicrobial resistance determination, such as by whole-genome sequencing, are required. Our aim was to develop a simple, low-cost method of preparing DNA for sequencing direct from M....
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesAn Optimal Diagnostic Strategy for Tuberculosis in Hospitalized HIV-Infected Patients Using GeneXpert MTB/RIF and Alere Determine TB LAM AgThe diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in HIV-infected patients is challenging. Both a urinary lipoarabinomannan (LAM) test (Alere TB LAM) and GeneXpert-MTB/RIF (Xpert) are useful for the diagnosis of TB. However, how to optimally integrate Xpert and LAM tests into clinical practice algorithms remain unclear. We performed a post hoc analysis of 561 HIV-infected sputum-expectorating patients (median CD4 count of 130 cells/ml) from a...
MinireviewFourth-Generation QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus: What Is the Evidence?QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) is the latest generation of interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs) to receive approval from the U.S. FDA, replacing its predecessor, QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT). The novelty of QFT-Plus is that it elicits a response from CD8 T cells, in addition to CD4 T cells, thus collecting a broader response from T-cell subsets than QFT-GIT. It was developed with the aim to improve the detection of...
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesValidation of Bedaquiline Phenotypic Drug Susceptibility Testing Methods and Breakpoints: a Multilaboratory, Multicountry StudyDrug-resistant tuberculosis persists as a major public health concern. Alongside efficacious treatments, validated and standardized drug susceptibility testing (DST) is required to improve patient care. This multicountry, multilaboratory external quality assessment (EQA) study aimed to validate the sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of provisional bedaquiline MIC breakpoints and World Health Organization interim critical...
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesFast, Simple, and Cheap: the Kudoh-Ogawa Swab Method as an Alternative to the Petroff–Lowenstein-Jensen Method for Culturing of Mycobacterium tuberculosisThe objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic yield of the Kudoh-Ogawa (K-O) swab method for the culturing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from clinical samples with the standard Petroff–Lowenstein-Jensen (P-LJ) procedure. A total of 2,287 sputum samples and 685 extrapulmonary clinical specimens were processed with both decontamination methods and compared...
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesCas12a/Guide RNA-Based Platform for Rapid and Accurate Identification of Major Mycobacterium SpeciesMycobacterium tuberculosis infection and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections exhibit similar clinical symptoms; however, the therapies for these two types of infections are different. Therefore, the rapid and accurate identification of M. tuberculosis and NTM species is very important for...
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesRapid Tuberculosis Diagnosis Using Reporter Enzyme FluorescenceTuberculosis is the most frequent cause of death in humans from a single infectious agent. Due to low numbers of bacteria present in sputum during early infection, diagnosis does not usually occur until >3 to 4 months after symptoms develop. We created a new more sensitive diagnostic that can be carried out in 10 min with no processing or technical expertise.
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesHow Well Do Routine Molecular Diagnostics Detect Rifampin Heteroresistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis?Rifampin heteroresistance—where rifampin-resistant and -susceptible tuberculosis (TB) bacilli coexist—may result in failed standard TB treatment and potential spread of rifampin-resistant strains. The detection of rifampin heteroresistance in routine rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) allows for patients to receive prompt and effective multidrug-resistant-TB treatment and may improve rifampin-resistant TB control.
