Rapid identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in BACTEC MGIT960 cultures by in-house loop-medicated isothermal amplification.

Definitive diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) by conventional culture, followed by bacterial identification based on biochemical tests is time-consuming and tedious. Simple loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, targeting the M. tuberculosis 16S ribosomal RNA gene, termed TB-LAMP, was evaluated as an alternative for rapid culture confirmation.