It has been recognized that management of the global TB problem can only be achieved with efficient and rapid diagnosis of the disease and the subsequent appropriate treatment of the patients. An inf.lovative method, termed Phage Amplification Technology, uses bacteriophage to report the presence of viable mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in a sample. Two products have been developed now by Biot.ic Laboratories Ltd, using this technology: F ASTPla(lue TB, which is a test for MTB detection and FASTPlaque TBRIF for rifampicin susceptibility testing. In this study the performance of these technologies is compared with the results of conventional culture on Lowenstien Jensen (LJ) media and Mycobacterillm Growth Indicator Tubes (MGIT). This study included; SO tuberculous patients ami 20 patients with chest disease other than tuberculosis served as control group (III). Newly diagnosed tuberculous patient'> were classified into group I and II (each, 25 patients) of sputum Ziehl Neelsen (ZN) positive and ZN negative cases respectively. From group I and II, 25 patients were selected to perform rifampicin susceptibility testing 'ierved as group IV. Sputa were decontaminated, digested and concentrated by the st:mdard NALC-NaOH treatment. From both groups I and II LJ slopes in duplicate were inoculated, culture on MGlT also was done. FASTPlaque TB test was performed for all patients. FASTPlaque Tn RIF
*Department of Clinical Pathology,**Department of Ch,!st Benha Faculty of Medicine
['or rifampicin ,;usccptibiliLl in comparison with the rl!' suits of l1GIT susceptibility were done for group IV. This study confirmed that the mean time of detection of MTB by FASTPlaque TR test is 2 days Cor the tilberclous patients (92% & 68% in group I and II respectin-Iy) with high significant difference in relation to the detection time by W medium (27.7± 3.8 days) in group I and in group II (30.9±S.8 days).
Meanwhile, the mean time of detection of MTB by MGlT was 7.S±1.9 days in 96% of group I and was 9.8±2.4 days in 76% of group II which is also higher than that of F ASTPlaque TB tcst.
For group III (control group), no growth could be detected hy LJ medium, MGIT and FASTPlaque TB test indicating 100% specificity.
For group IV, J5 cases (60%) were sensitive for rifampicin and 10 cases (40%) were resistant for rifampicin with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity in comparison with the results of MGIT. ,
A comhination of smear microscopy and FASTPlaque detected 80% of all T8 positive specimens. FASTPlaque TB results were available within 48 hours from receiving the samples, so rapidly we can confirm TB in smear positive and to providc quick and certain diagnosis in smear negative TB.
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