Comparison of IS6110 and ‘short fragment’ devR (Rv3133c) gene targets with phenotypic methods for diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

摘要

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB), declared a global emergency in 1993 by the WHO, remains a worldwide public health problem. Rapid diagnosis is required for treatment and prevention. This study compares genotypic methods using two gene targets [IS6110 and 'short fragment' devR (Rv3133c)] with phenotypic methods [Lowenstein Jensen (LJ) and BACTEC 460] for the diagnosis of TB while using Ziehl Neelsen (ZN) staining as the gold standard.