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Updated: May 28, 2026

Diagnosing Pulmonary Tuberculosis with the Xpert MTB/RIF Test
Published on: April 9, 2012
Against all odds: diagnosing tuberculosis in South Africa
Douglas Wilson1, Victoria Howell, Christina Toppozini
1Department of Medicine, Edendale Hospital, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. wilsondpk@gmail.com
Abstract:
Clinical and logistic systems to support the timely diagnosis of tuberculosis are currently not preventing large numbers of tuberculosis deaths in South Africa. Context-appropriate systems for the diagnosis of tuberculosis are entirely dependent on effective and responsive management of human resources and an uninterrupted supply of clinical materials. Attention to these components of the tuberculosis program is urgently needed before new diagnostic technologies can be expected to impact on tuberculosis mortality in resource constrained settings.
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