The Use of an Automated Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (Xpert MTB/RIF) to Predict the Sputum Smear Status of Tuberculosis Patients | Zendy

Grant Theron | Zendy; Lancelot Pinto | Zendy; Jonny Peter | Zendy; Hemant Kumar Mishra | Zendy; Hridesh Mishra | Zendy; Richard N. van Zyl-Smit | Zendy; Surendra K. Sharma | Zendy; Keertan Dheda | Zendy

Open Access

The Use of an Automated Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (Xpert MTB/RIF) to Predict the Sputum Smear Status of Tuberculosis Patients

Author(s) -

Grant Theron,

Lancelot Pinto,

Jonny Peter,

Hemant Kumar Mishra,

Hridesh Mishra,

Richard N. van Zyl-Smit,

Surendra K. Sharma,

Keertan Dheda

Publication year - 2011

Publication title -

clinical infectious diseases

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 3.44

H-Index - 336

eISSN - 1537-6591

pISSN - 1058-4838

DOI - 10.1093/cid/cir824

Subject(s) - medicine , sputum , tuberculosis , polymerase chain reaction , mycobacterium tuberculosis , genexpert mtb/rif , real time polymerase chain reaction , virology , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , pathology , gene , biology , biochemistry

Xpert MTB/RIF-generated cycle-threshold (C(T)) values have poor clinical utility as a rule-in test for smear positivity (cut-point ≤20.2; sensitivity 32.3%, specificity 97.1%) but moderately good rule-out value (cut-point >31.8; negative predictive value 80.0%). Thus, 20% of individuals with C(T) values >31.8 were erroneously ruled out as smear-negative. This group had a significantly lower sputum bacillary load relative to correctly classified smear-positive patients (C(T) ≤ 31.8; P < .001). These data inform on public health and contact tracing strategies.

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