Stool processing methods for Xpert Ultra testing in childhood tuberculosis: A prospective, multi-country accuracy study.

Background: Centrifuge-free processing methods support stool Xpert Ultra testing for childhood tuberculosis (TB), but there are limited data on their accuracy, acceptability and usability.

Methods: We conducted a prospective evaluation of stool Xpert Ultra in India, South Africa, and Uganda with three methods: Stool Processing Kit (SPK), Simple One-Step (SOS), and Optimized Sucrose Flotation (OSF). Children <15 years old with presumptive TB had respiratory specimen testing with Xpert Ultra and culture.

Identification of an antibiotic from an HTS targeting EF-Tu:tRNA interaction: a prospective topical treatment for MRSA skin infections.

Because of the urgent need for new antibiotics to treat drug-resistant bacterial pathogens, we employed an assay that rapidly screens large quantities of compounds for their ability to interfere with bacterial protein synthesis, in particular, the delivery of amino acids to the ribosome via tRNA and elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu). We have identified a drug lead, named MGC-10, which kills Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant (MRSA), with a MIC of 6 µM, while being harmless to mammalian cells in that concentration range. The antibacterial activity of MGC-10 was broad against over 50 strains of antibiotic-resistant samples obtained from hospital infections, where MGC-10 inhibited all tested strains of MRSA.

Optimal processing of tongue swab samples for Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection by the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay.

Unlabelled: Tongue swabs represent a potential alternative to sputum as a sample type for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) using molecular diagnostic tests. The methods used to process tongue swabs for testing in the WHO-recommended Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) assay vary greatly. We aimed to identify the optimal method for processing diagnostic tongue swabs for subsequent testing by Xpert Ultra.

A simple and sensitive test for colonization, surveillance, and infection control suitable for near patient use.

Unlabelled: is a multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen with a propensity to colonize humans and persist on environmental surfaces. invasive fungal disease is being increasingly identified in acute and long-term care settings. We have developed a prototype cartridge-based surveillance assay (CaurisSurV cartridge; "research use only") that includes integrated sample processing and nucleic acid amplification to detect from surveillance skin swabs in the GeneXpert instrument and is designed for point-of-care use.

Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra versus mycobacterial growth indicator tube liquid culture for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in symptomatic adults: a diagnostic accuracy study.

Background: Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) is an automated molecular test for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum. We compared the sensitivity of Ultra to that of mycobacterial growth indicator tube (MGIT) liquid culture, considered the most sensitive assay in routine clinical use.

Methods: In this prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study, we used a non-inferiority design to assess whether the sensitivity of a single Ultra test was non-inferior to that of a single liquid culture for detection of M tuberculosis in sputum.