Usefulness of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra for rapid diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in Tunisia.

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) remains a challenging diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Cepheid, USA) for rapid diagnosis of EPTB in Tunisia. Eight hundred and forty-seven extrapulmonary samples collected from 2017 to 2021, were subjected to Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra.

Evaluation of PCR -restriction fragment length polymorphism and PCR amplification of genomic regions of difference for the identification of strains in lymph nodes cultures.

Background: A rapid accurate identification of is essential for surveillance purposes.

Objectives: A PCR -Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) and a multiplex PCR based on the detection of 3 regions of difference (RD-PCR): RD9, RD4 and RD1 were evaluated for the identification of in lymph nodes cultures, in Tunisia, during 2013-2015.

Methods: Eighty-two complex strains were identified using the biochemical tests, GenoType MTBC assay, PCR -RFLP and RD-PCR.

Performance of the GenoType MTBDRsl V 2.0 for detecting second-line drugs resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Tunisia.

Rapid detection of the second-line drug (SLD) resistant tuberculosis (TB) strains is challenging to prescribe an immediate adequate treatment and limit the transmission of SLD resistant strains. The study aimed to evaluate the performance of GenoType MTBDRsl V2.0 compared to phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (pDST:MGIT960) to detect resistance to SLD of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates in Tunisia, between May 2015 and December 2019.

Detection of isoniazid and rifampin resistance of Mycobacteriumtuberculosis by a multiplex allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay.

Background: The use of molecular techniques is a major improvement for the rapid routine detection and control of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

Materials: In this study, the multiplex allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (MAS-PCR) was developed to simultaneously detect the most frequent mutations associated with isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RIF) resistance in a single assay.

Results: The assay was tested with 53 clinical isolates.