title: Evaluation of Xpert MTB/RIF assay for rapid molecular diagnosis of tuberculosis in a two-year period in Croatia.
abstract: Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains a major global health problem and is currently killing 1.5 million people every year. One of the most important steps in tuberculosis control is the rapid and accurate laboratory diagnosis. The Xpert MTB/RIF assay is a novel molecular, easy-to-use assay, which can lead to tuberculosis identification in less than 2h. In this study, the Xpert MTB/RIF assay performance for rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis was evaluated in comparison with conventional culture methods; 361 pulmonary and extrapulmonary patient samples were collected between October 2010 and October 2012 and were analyzed at the National Reference laboratory for Mycobacteria, Zagreb, Croatia. For pulmonary samples the sensitivity and specificity were 86% and 100%, while for extrapulmonary samples the sensitivity and specificity were 75% and 99%, respectively. It was concluded that Xpert MTB/RIF assay has high sensitivity and specificity for both pulmonary and extrapulmonary specimens.
authors.affiliation: Department for TB Diagnosis, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Rockefeller Street 2, Zagreb, Croatia. Electronic address: ljiljana.zmak@hzjz.hr.
authors.forename: Ljiljana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zmak
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Pulmonary Diseases Jordanovac, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Jordanovac 104, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Mateja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jankovic
authors.affiliation: Department for TB Diagnosis, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Rockefeller Street 2, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Vera Katalinic
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Jankovic
keywords: Molecular methods; Rapid diagnosis; Tuberculosis; Xpert MTB/RIF assay