Routine use of Xpert® MTB/RIF in areas with different prevalences of HIV and drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Setting: Despite the widespread introduction of Xpert(®) MTB/RIF in developing countries, reports of its use and value in routine conditions remain limited.

Objective: To describe Xpert results in relation to microscopy, treatment initiation, cost and workload under routine conditions at four sites in Cambodia, Georgia, Kenya and Swaziland.

Design: Laboratory and clinical information on presumed TB patients were obtained from routine registers over a period of at least 6 months between March and November 2012.