Evaluation of direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples using the BD ProbeTec ET system.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of the semi-automated BD ProbeTec ET system for the direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) in comparison with microscopy, and culture for respiratory and non-respiratory specimens.

Methods: The study was conducted in the Maternity and Children's Hospital, Madina, Saudi Arabia from October 2008 to October 2009. A single center prospective study of 70 suspected tuberculosis samples were subjected to microscopy, culture (solid and liquid), and the DB ProbeTec ET system.