title: The molecular bacterial load assay replaces solid culture for measuring early bactericidal response to antituberculosis treatment.
abstract: We evaluated the use of the molecular bacterial load (MBL) assay, for measuring viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum, in comparison with solid agar and liquid culture. The MBL assay provides early information on the rate of decline in bacterial load and has technical advantages over culture in either form.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Department of Infection, University College London, London, United Kingdom i.honeyborne@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Isobella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Honeyborne
authors.affiliation: NIMR-Mbeya Medical Research Centre, Mbeya, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Bariki
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mtafya
authors.affiliation: MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Patrick P J
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Medical Centre of the University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany DZIF German Centre for Infection Research, Munich Partner Site, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoelscher
authors.affiliation: NIMR-Mbeya Medical Research Centre, Mbeya, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Elias N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Ntinginya
authors.affiliation: NIMR-Mbeya Medical Research Centre, Mbeya, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kohlenberg
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Medical Centre of the University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany DZIF German Centre for Infection Research, Munich Partner Site, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rachow
authors.affiliation: NIMR-Mbeya Medical Research Centre, Mbeya, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rojas-Ponce
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Department of Infection, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: McHugh
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Medical Centre of the University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany DZIF German Centre for Infection Research, Munich Partner Site, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Heinrich
mesh_terms: D000362:Agar; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D058491:Bacterial Load / Q000379:methods*; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000379:methods; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects*; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D003470:Culture Media; D000362:Agar