Tuberc Respir Dis.  2016 Jul;79(3):134-142. 10.4046/trd.2016.79.3.134.

Pulmonary Tuberculosis Diagnosis: Where We Are?

• Leylabadlo HE
• Kafil HS
• Yousefi M
• Aghazadeh
• Asgharzadeh M

• KMID: 2326681
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2016.79.3.134

Abstract

In recent years, in spite of medical advancement, tuberculosis (TB) remains a worldwide health problem. Although many laboratory methods have been developed to expedite the diagnosis of TB, delays in diagnosis remain a major problem in the clinical practice. Because of the slow growth rate of the causative agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis, isolation, identification, and drug susceptibility testing of this organism and other clinically important mycobacteria can take several weeks or longer. During the past several years, many methods have been developed for direct detection, species identification, and drug susceptibility testing of TB. A good understanding of the effectiveness and practical limitations of these methods is important to improve diagnosis. This review summarizes the currently-used advances in nonmolecular and molecular diagnostics.

Keyword

Tuberculosis; Diagnosis; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant

MeSH Terms

Diagnosis*
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Pathology, Molecular
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant
Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

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