New developments in the laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis

Abstract

After more than a century of slow progress, developments in the last decade offer real hope for more rapid, sensitive diagnosis of tuberculosis and associated drug resistance. Interferon-gamma release assays have improved our ability to diagnose latent TB infection whilst the availability of rapid genotypic tests for drug resistance permits rapid detection of multidrug resistant TB. There is much optimism that these tests, as well as novel fully automated nucleic acid amplification platforms will finally enable clinicians to diagnose TB accurately and rapidly.