LONDON, (Reuters) – A new molecular test for tuberculosis made by Cepheid can diagnose TB and detect a drug-resistant form of it far more easily and rapidly than other tests currently available, scientists said yesterday.
In a study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), researchers said that when used on 1,730 patients with suspected TB and suspected drug-resistant TB, the Xpert MTB/RIF test successfully identified 98 percent of all cases.
It also identified 98 percent of patients with a form of TB resistant to rifampin, or rifampicin — one of the most powerful TB drugs — and achieved these results in less than two hours.
Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases described the test findings as “impressive” in terms of speed, accuracy and sensitivity.
