Utility of a lateral flow assay for culture confirmation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

Background: Therapy for the clinical management of patients with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and non tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is different. Prompt detection and discrimination is necessary for administration of suitable therapy.

Methods: The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of a Immunochromatographic Test (ICT) in rapid differentiation of MTBC from NTM grown in Lowenstein-Jensen medium and MGIT broth in comparison to molecular methods.

Results: Of the 106 isolates in this study, 96 and 95 were identified as MTBC by 16S rRNA PCR and MPT64 respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of MPT64 was found to be 99% and 100% respectively.

Conclusions: The Lateral Flow Assay Test is a useful and specific tool in rapid differentiation of M. tuberculosis complex from culture. Therefore proper identification avoids unnecessary ATT to patients infected with NTM.