Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2019 Jan 4:14:16-18.
doi: 10.1016/j.jctube.2019.01.002. eCollection 2019 Feb.

Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra: Optimal procedures for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in cerebrospinal fluid

Jerome H Chin  1 , Willy Ssengooba  2 , Scott Grossman  1 , Jacob Pellinen  1 , Vincent Wadda  3
Affiliations
Editorial

Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra: Optimal procedures for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in cerebrospinal fluid

Jerome H Chin et al. J Clin Tuberc Other Mycobact Dis. .

Abstract

Tuberculosis is the leading infectious cause of death globally and extra-pulmonary disease occurs in 15% of incident cases annually. Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is arguably the most lethal form of tuberculosis and requires prompt diagnosis and initiation of treatment to prevent death and serious neurological disability. The development of rapid diagnostic tests using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), including the World Health Organization (WHO) - endorsed Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay, has allowed earlier definite diagnosis of TBM than conventional culture methods which usually take two weeks or longer for positive identification of MTB. Detection of MTB in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using PCR assays requires special attention to the collection, handling, and processing of CSF. Herein we present best practices guidance to maximize the detection rate of MTB in CSF using Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra.

Keywords: Cerebrospinal fluid; Meningitis; PCR; Tuberculosis; Xpert.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1
Safe handling of a cerebrospinal fluid specimen in a biological safety cabinet (photo taken in Kampala, Uganda).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. WHO. WHO Meeting Report of a Technical Expert Consultation, Non-Inferiority Analysis of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra compared to Xpert MTB/RIF, http://www.who.int/tb/publications/2017/XpertUltra/en/, Date last accessed: January 2, 2019.
    1. Chakravorty S., Simmons A.M., Rowneki M., Cao Y., Ryan J., Banada P.P. The new Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra: improving detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resistance to rifampin in an assay suitable for point-of-care testing. mBio. 2017;8:e00812–e00817. - PMC - PubMed
    1. WHO. World Health Organization model list of essential in vitro diagnostics. http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/documents/s23461en/s23461en.pdf. Date last accessed: January 2, 2019.
    1. Schrader C., Schielke A., Ellerbroek L., Johne R. PCR inhibitors – occurrence, properties and removal. J Appl Microbiol. 2012;113:1014–1026. - PubMed
    1. Huggett J.F., Novak T., Garson J.A., Green C., Morris-Jones S.D., Miller R.F. Differential susceptibility of PCR reactions to inhibitors: an important and unrecognised phenomenon. BMC Res Notes. 2008;1:70. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources