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Updated: Feb 20, 2026
Diagnosing Pulmonary Tuberculosis with the Xpert MTB/RIF Test
Published on: April 9, 2012
Rifampicin Resistance and Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Detection Using Xpert MTB/RIF in Wuhan, China: A
Hai Huang1, Yanlin Zhang1, Sheng Li1
11 Department of Tuberculosis Specialty, Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital , Wuhan, China .
Background:
The Xpert MTB/RIF test (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA) can simultaneously detect the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) complex DNA and rifampicin (RFP) resistance and can rapidly determine RFP resistance and predict multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). In this study, we analyzed clinical examination results of a hospital specializing in TB treatment in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and examined the use of traditional culture and drug-sensitive test (DST) results as a gold standard to assess the diagnosis value of the Xpert MTB/RIF test in RFP resistance and MDR-TB.
Materials And Methods:
A total of 2,910 specimens were received in the Mycobacteriology Laboratory, Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital, for Xpert MTB/RIF testing between December 2013 and December 2014. After the results were reviewed by exclusion criteria, 1,066 Xpert test results were eligible for our study. We then compared the Xpert test results with sputum acid-fast bacilli staining, cultures, and DST results.
Results:
In total, Xpert correctly identified 96.71% (147/152) RFP-resistant TB and 98.25% (898/914) RFP-sensitive TB specimens. Of the 147 RFP-resistant TB specimens detected by Xpert, 122 MDR-TB (82.99%) were identified by traditional culture and DST techniques.
Conclusions:
Xpert can simultaneously detect MTB and RFP resistance with high sensitivity and specificity. Thus, Xpert testing aids in saving a considerable amount of time in the diagnosis and treatment of MDR-TB.
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