The role of rapid diagnostic tests for tuberculosis in Singapore

There have been major advances in molecular techniques which rapidly identify mycobacterial DNA in clinical specimens. This has culminated in the approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of two rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for tuberculosis. The FDA only licensed these tests for use in AFB smear positive patients. The role of these tests in smear negative disease is undefined. This article reviews the data on efficacy of RDT in the diagnosis of AFB smear negative PTB and proposes an alogrithm which incorporates RDT in the routine diagnosis of PTB.