title: Rapid Diagnosis of Tuberculosis by Real-Time High-Resolution Imaging of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Colonies.
abstract: Culture remains the cornerstone of diagnosis for pulmonary tuberculosis, but the fastidiousness of Mycobacterium tuberculosis may delay culture-based diagnosis for weeks. We evaluated the performance of real-time high-resolution imaging for the rapid detection of M. tuberculosis colonies growing on a solid medium. A total of 50 clinical specimens, including 42 sputum specimens, 4 stool specimens, 2 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid specimens, and 2 bronchial aspirate fluid specimens were prospectively inoculated into (i) a commercially available Middlebrook broth and evaluated for mycobacterial growth indirectly detected by measuring oxygen consumption (standard protocol) and (ii) a home-made solid medium incubated in an incubator featuring real-time high-resolution imaging of colonies (real-time protocol). Isolates were identified by Ziehl-Neelsen staining and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Use of the standard protocol yielded 14/50 (28%) M. tuberculosis isolates, which is not significantly different from the 13/50 (26%) M. tuberculosis isolates found using the real-time protocol (P = 1.00 by Fisher's exact test), and the contamination rate of 1/50 (2%) was not significantly different from the contamination rate of 2/50 (4%) using the real-time protocol (P = 1.00). The real-time imaging protocol showed a 4.4-fold reduction in time to detection, 82 ± 54 h versus 360 ± 142 h (P < 0.05). These preliminary data give the proof of concept that real-time high-resolution imaging of M. tuberculosis colonies is a new technology that shortens the time to growth detection and the laboratory diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, URMITE, UMR CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, Marseille, France Advencis SAS, Mutzig, France.
authors.forename: Ramzi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ghodbane
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, URMITE, UMR CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Shady
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asmar
authors.affiliation: Advencis SAS, Mutzig, France MIPS Laboratory E2332, Université de Haute Alsace, Mulhouse, France.
authors.forename: Marlena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Betzner
authors.affiliation: Advencis SAS, Mutzig, France.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Linet
authors.affiliation: Advencis SAS, Mutzig, France.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pierquin
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, URMITE, UMR CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, URMITE, UMR CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, Marseille, France michel.drancourt@univ-amu.fr.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drancourt
mesh_terms: D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis*