Application of serial tests for Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection to active lung tuberculosis cases in Indonesia

Rapid detection and accurate diagnosis are very important in managing active tuberculosis because they provide an advantage in preventing further disease transmission. In accordance with the recommendation of the World Health Organization, the Indonesian Tuberculosis Control Program uses the acid fast bacilli (AFB) smear and Chest X-ray methods as the primary methods for detecting tuberculosis, especially in new cases of suspected tuberculosis. The genus Mycobacterium has many species, strains, and variants, and their natural differences may affect the clinical outcome of the diseases they induce. The purpose of this study was to assess different tuberculosis detection methods as part of serial tests and determine the best diagnostic approach for detecting active lung tuberculosis in Indonesia.

This study used clinical samples from tuberculosis patients and assessed them using a series of tests, aiming to increase the sensitivity of active tuberculosis detection. Some samples that yielded negative results in the AFB smear test were detected as positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis using the nucleic acid amplification test, with a sensitivity of 83.1%. Additionally, nucleic acid amplification also detected positive results among samples assessed as M. tuberculosis-negative using the culture method, this method yielded the same results as the Gene Xpert test.