Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026

The MODS method for diagnosis of tuberculosis and multidrug resistant tuberculosis
Published on: August 11, 2008
Rapid and inexpensive detection of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis with the nitrate reductase assay
Dissou Affolabi1, Mathieu Odoun, N'Dira Sanoussi
1Laboratoire de Référence des Mycobactéries, 01 BP 817 Cotonou, Bénin. affolabi_dissou@yahoo.fr
Abstract:
For rapid and low-cost detection of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we applied the nitrate reductase assay (NRA) using a liquid medium directly to sputum samples. A total of 179 sputum samples were analyzed by the NRA, and results were compared to those obtained by the indirect proportion method (IPM) as a standard reference. Out of 144 specimens for which comparable results were available, only one discrepant result was obtained: MDR by NRA but susceptible by the IPM. In total 56% of the results were obtained in 10 days by the NRA. NRA performed in liquid medium is rapid and inexpensive and can be easily implemented in low-income countries.
Related Concept Videos
Rapid Identification of Pathogens
Pulmonary Tuberculosis IV
Several diagnostic approaches are used to detect TB. The conventional method is the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST), also known as the Mantoux test. However, this method has...
Automated Microbial Diagnostics