J Med Microbiol 55 (2006), 1657-1659; DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.46442-0
© 2006 Society for General Microbiology
ISSN 1473-5644
Rapid and low-cost colorimetric method using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride for detection of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Alireza Mohammadzadeh1,
Parisa Farnia2,
Kiarash Ghazvini1,
Mahdi Behdani1,
,
Tahereh Rashed1 and
Javad Ghanaat1
1 Mycobacteriology Department, Gaem University Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Science, Iran
2 Iranian National Reference TB laboratory, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis & Lung Disease (NRITLD)/WHO Collaborating Centre, Tehran, Iran
Correspondence
Mahdi Behdani
Behdani73042{at}yahoo.com
Received 29 November 2005
Accepted 21 August 2006
A rapid and inexpensive method for the detection of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is essential for the effective control of tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate a colorimetric method using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) for antibiotic susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis isolates. Eleven multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates of M. tuberculosis and 12 isolates which were susceptible to rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH) were used. The test was performed with a critical concentration of 0.2 µg ml1 for INH and 2.0 µg ml1 for RIF in 7H9GC broth with 0.625 µg TTC ml1. Each isolate was inoculated under these conditions and inspected daily for colour changes; the results were obtained after a mean of 4.9 days. The sensitivity and specificity of this method were 100 % and 92 %, respectively, for both antibiotics. Considering the speed, technical ease and cost-effectiveness of this method, the TTC assay is a good alternative method for drug susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis isolates.
Abbreviations: INH, isoniazid; MDR, multidrug-resistant; RIF, rifampicin; TTC, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride.
Present address: Education Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Copyright © 2006 Society for General Microbiology.