HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by BARRETT, A. Articles by FREEMAN, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by BARRETT, A. Articles by FREEMAN, R. Agricola Articles by BARRETT, A. Articles by FREEMAN, R.

An evaluation of the BD ProbeTec ET system for the direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in respiratory samples

North of England Regional Centre for Mycobacteriology, Public Health Laboratory, General Hospital, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 6BE

Corresponding author: Dr J. G. Magee (e-mail: newjmage{at}north.phls.nhs.uk).

Received 23 Jan. 2002; revised version accepted 9 June 2002.

In controlling the spread of tuberculosis, early detection of disease caused by organisms of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) is vital. The BD ProbeTec ET system provides a method for the direct detection of MTBC by strand displacement amplification. Two hundred and five respiratory samples from patients with a high probability of tuberculosis were assessed by ProbeTec and by microscopy and culture for mycobacteria. ProbeTec positive results were obtained with 101 of 109 samples from which MTBC organisms were isolated. ProbeTec correctly signalled 78 of 81 samples that gave growths of mycobacteria other than tubercle bacilli (MOTT) as negative. Three samples gave false-positive results, corrected on repeat testing. Positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) were 0.97 and 0.90 and the system showed a sensitivity and specificity of 92.7% and 96.0%, respectively. These values rose to PPV 0.97, NPV 0.96, sensitivity 97.1% and specificity 96.0% when data from the small number of gastric lavage samples tested were removed from the analysis. The BD ProbeTec ET system offers a robust and reliable molecular biological approach to the detection of MTBC organisms in respiratory samples in a semi-automated format.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. C. Bean, A. Hills, T. Ryan, and J. Aitken Evaluation of the BD ProbeTec ET System for Direct Detection of Mycobacterium bovis in Veterinary Specimens J. Clin. Microbiol., October 1, 2007; 45(10): 3434 - 3435. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S Greco, E Girardi, A Navarra, and C Saltini Current evidence on diagnostic accuracy of commercially based nucleic acid amplification tests for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis Thorax, September 1, 2006; 61(9): 783 - 790. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. H. F. Goessens, P. de Man, J. G. M. Koeleman, A. Luijendijk, R. te Witt, H. P. Endtz, and A. van Belkum Comparison of the COBAS AMPLICOR MTB and BDProbeTec ET Assays for Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Respiratory Specimens J. Clin. Microbiol., June 1, 2005; 43(6): 2563 - 2566. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T D McHugh, C F Pope, C L Ling, S Patel, O J Billington, R D Gosling, M C Lipman, and S H Gillespie Prospective evaluation of BDProbeTec strand displacement amplification (SDA) system for diagnosis of tuberculosis in non-respiratory and respiratory samples J. Med. Microbiol., December 1, 2004; 53(12): 1215 - 1219. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Piersimoni and C. Scarparo Relevance of Commercial Amplification Methods for Direct Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex in Clinical Samples J. Clin. Microbiol., December 1, 2003; 41(12): 5355 - 5365. [Full Text] [PDF]