Inferring Drug Resistance and Transmission using Whole-genome Sequencing in a High TB-burden Setting in China.

Objective: China is among the 30 countries with a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) worldwide, and TB remains a public health concern. Kashgar Prefecture in the southern Xinjiang Autonomous Region is considered as one of the highest TB burden regions in China. However, molecular epidemiological studies of Kashgar are lacking.

Comparison of Two Molecular Assays For Detecting Smear Negative Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Objective: To compare the performance of MTBDRplus V2 and Xpert MTB/RIF for detecting smear negative pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).

Methods: Clinical PTB suspects were enrolled consecutively in Anhui Chest Hospital and Xi'an Chest Hospital from January to December in 2014. The sputum samples of smear negative PTB suspects were collected and decontaminated.

The Abbott RealTime MTB assay and the Cepheid GeneXpert assay show comparable performance for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum specimens.

Objectives: To evaluate the performance of the newly developed technology Abbott RealTime MTB assay (RealTime MTB assay) for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum specimens and to compare its performance with that of the Cepheid GeneXpert assay.

Methods: Sputum specimens were collected from 270 subjects suspected to have tuberculosis (TB). Smear microscopy, culture, identification, RealTime MTB, and GeneXpert assays were performed according to standard protocols.

Multicenter Evaluation of the Molecular Line Probe Assay for Multidrug Resistant Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Detection in China.

In order to evaluate the performance of a molecular Hain line probe assay (Hain LPA) for rapid detection of rifampicin and isoniazid resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in China, 1612 smear positive patients were consecutively enrolled in this study. Smear positive sputum specimens were collected for Hain LPA and conventional drug susceptibility testing (DST). The sensitivity and specificity of Hain LPA were analyzed by using conventional DST as golden reference.

The feasibility of sputum transportation system in China: effect of sputum storage on the mycobacterial detection.

Sputum transportation from county-level to prefecture-level is an ideal strategy to cover the shortage of the laboratory capability in the resource-poor setting. Here, we firstly evaluated the feasibility of sputum transportation system in China by analyzing the culture and molecular diagnosis results from 1982 smear-positive patients with different delay in processing for culture. In this study, the total contamination rate was 2.

[Relationship between Beijing genotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and drug-resistant phenotypes].

Objective: To investigate the distribution of the Beijing genotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and the relationships between Beijing genotype strains and drug-resistant phenotypes in China.

Methods: Clinical isolates were collected during a 9-month research period from April to December in 2008 in six geographic regions of China.