OBJECTIVE: We investigated data from US public health laboratories funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Tuberculosis Elimination and Laboratory Cooperative Agreement to document trends and challenges in meeting national objectives in tuberculosis (TB) laboratory diagnoses. METHODS: We examined data on workload and turnaround time from public health laboratories' progress reports during 2009-2013. We reviewed methodologies, laboratory roles, and progress toward rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex through nucleic acid amplification (NAA) testing. We compared selected data with TB surveillance reports to estimate public health laboratories' contribution to national diagnostic services. RESULTS: During the study period, culture and drug susceptibility tests decreased, but NAA testing increased. Public health laboratories achieved turnaround time benchmarks for drug susceptibility tests at lower levels than for acid-fast bacilli smear and identification from culture. NAA positivity in laboratories among surveillance-reported culture-positive TB cases increased from 26.6% (2355 of 8876) in 2009 to 40.0% (2948 of 7358) in 2013. Public health laboratories provided an estimated 50.9% (4285 of 8413 in 2010) to 57.2% (4210 of 7358 in 2013) of culture testing and 88.3% (6822 of 7727 in 2011) to 94.4% (6845 of 7250 in 2012) of drug susceptibility tests for all US TB cases. CONCLUSIONS: Public health laboratories contribute substantially to TB diagnoses in the United States. Although testing volumes mostly decreased, the increase in NAA testing indicates continued progress in rapid M tuberculosis complex detection.
OBJECTIVE: We investigated data from US public health laboratories funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Tuberculosis Elimination and Laboratory Cooperative Agreement to document trends and challenges in meeting national objectives in tuberculosis (TB) laboratory diagnoses. METHODS: We examined data on workload and turnaround time from public health laboratories' progress reports during 2009-2013. We reviewed methodologies, laboratory roles, and progress toward rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex through nucleic acid amplification (NAA) testing. We compared selected data with TB surveillance reports to estimate public health laboratories' contribution to national diagnostic services. RESULTS: During the study period, culture and drug susceptibility tests decreased, but NAA testing increased. Public health laboratories achieved turnaround time benchmarks for drug susceptibility tests at lower levels than for acid-fast bacilli smear and identification from culture. NAA positivity in laboratories among surveillance-reported culture-positive TB cases increased from 26.6% (2355 of 8876) in 2009 to 40.0% (2948 of 7358) in 2013. Public health laboratories provided an estimated 50.9% (4285 of 8413 in 2010) to 57.2% (4210 of 7358 in 2013) of culture testing and 88.3% (6822 of 7727 in 2011) to 94.4% (6845 of 7250 in 2012) of drug susceptibility tests for all US TB cases. CONCLUSIONS: Public health laboratories contribute substantially to TB diagnoses in the United States. Although testing volumes mostly decreased, the increase in NAA testing indicates continued progress in rapid M tuberculosis complex detection.
Entities:
Keywords:
Mycobacterium tuberculosis; diagnosis; public health laboratories
Authors: Burton W Wilcke; Stanley L Inhorn; J Rex Astles; Bertina Su; Abigail Wright; Vanessa A White Journal: Public Health Rep Date: 2010 May-Jun Impact factor: 2.792
Authors: K D McCarthy; B Metchock; A Kanphukiew; P Monkongdee; C Sinthuwattanawibool; T Tasaneeyapan; S Rienthong; K Ngamlert; L-O Srisuwanvilai; J K Varma Journal: Int J Tuberc Lung Dis Date: 2008-09 Impact factor: 2.373
Authors: Catharina C Boehme; Pamela Nabeta; Doris Hillemann; Mark P Nicol; Shubhada Shenai; Fiorella Krapp; Jenny Allen; Rasim Tahirli; Robert Blakemore; Roxana Rustomjee; Ana Milovic; Martin Jones; Sean M O'Brien; David H Persing; Sabine Ruesch-Gerdes; Eduardo Gotuzzo; Camilla Rodrigues; David Alland; Mark D Perkins Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2010-09-01 Impact factor: 91.245