title: External quality control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing: results of two rounds in endemic countries.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Parassitarie e Immunomediate, Rome, Italy. lanfranco.fattorini@iss.it
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fattorini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Iona
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cirillo
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Migliori
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Orefici
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aziz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tafaj
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baig
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mulliqi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maungate
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cuna
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Busaidy
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Al-Suwaidi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ceyhan
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents