External quality control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing: results of two rounds in endemic countries.
METHODS
Quality assurance for the World Health Organization (WHO)/International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) global tuberculosis (TB) drug resistance surveillance programme.


OBJECTIVE
To monitor the quality of drug susceptibility testing (DST) in different countries.


METHODS
In 2002-2003 and 2005-2006, 20 Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains were sent by the WHO/Union Supranational Reference Laboratory of Rome to TB reference laboratories in Albania, Bahrain, Kosovo, Mozambique, Oman, Qatar and Turkey for external quality control (EQC).


RESULTS
In 2002-2003, the specificity, sensitivity, efficiency, reproducibility and predictive values for resistance/susceptibility were >or=90% for streptomycin (SM), isoniazid (INH) and ethambutol (EMB). In 2005-2006, all statistical values were >or=96% for SM, INH, rifampicin and EMB.


CONCLUSIONS
EQC improved the quality of M. tuberculosis DST in the participating countries.
Fattorini
L
L
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Parassitarie e Immunomediate, Rome, Italy. lanfranco.fattorini@iss.it
Iona
E
E
Cirillo
D
D
Migliori
G B
GB
Orefici
G
G
Aziz
M
M
Wright
A
A
Tafaj
S
S
Baig
B
B
Mulliqi
G
G
Maungate
S
S
Cuna
Z
Z
Al-Busaidy
S
S
Al-Suwaidi
Z
Z
Ceyhan
I
I
D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000592:standards*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D011786:Quality Control; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology
D000995:Antitubercular Agents