title: A comparison of the Sensititre® MYCOTB panel and the agar proportion method for the susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
abstract: The agar proportion method (APM) for determining Mycobacterium tuberculosis susceptibilities is a qualitative method that requires 21 days in order to produce the results. The Sensititre method allows for a quantitative assessment. Our objective was to compare the accuracy, time to results, and ease of use of the Sensititre method to the APM. 7H10 plates in the APM and 96-well microtiter dry MYCOTB panels containing 12 antibiotics at full dilution ranges in the Sensititre method were inoculated with M. tuberculosis and read for colony growth. Thirty-seven clinical isolates were tested using both methods and 26 challenge strains of blinded susceptibilities were tested using the Sensititre method only. The Sensititre method displayed 99.3% concordance with the APM. The APM provided reliable results on day 21, whereas the Sensititre method displayed consistent results by day 10. The Sensititre method provides a more rapid, quantitative, and efficient method of testing both first- and second-line drugs when compared to the gold standard. It will give clinicians a sense of the degree of susceptibility, thus, guiding the therapeutic decision-making process. Furthermore, the microwell plate format without the need for instrumentation will allow its use in resource-poor settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1657, New York, NY 10029, USA. mayssa.abuali@gmail.com
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Abuali
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Katariwala
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: LaBombardi
mesh_terms: D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000379:methods; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents