A groundbreaking study led by Chad Centner and Helen Cox, as part of the TB CAPT Consortium funded by the EDCTP, has demonstrated the efficacy of the WHO-approved Xpert MTB/XDR test in detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resistance to crucial drugs directly from sputum specimens.
The study highlights that the Xpert MTB/XDR test provided comprehensive resistance results in 84% of cases compared to 66% with routine testing, significantly reducing the median turnaround time from 15 days to just 23 hours. With high sensitivity and specificity for drug resistance detection, this innovative reflex testing approach not only increases the availability of diagnostic results but also accelerates the diagnostic process, making it a pivotal advancement in the fight against tuberculosis.

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