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New TB test turns around results more quickly

Respiratory Care Weekly, October 19, 2006

Researchers found a new tuberculosis (TB) test that works faster, is more sensitive, and can be more accurate than current tests, according to a report in the October 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The sensitivity of detecting TB was 97.8% for the new microscopic-observation drug-susceptibility (MODS) culture. That compares favorably to traditional methods: 89% for automated mycobacterial culture and 84% for Lowenstein-Jensen culture.

The median time for detection of TB was seven days for MODS culture, 13 days for automated mycobacterial culture, and 26 days for Lowenstein-Jensen culture, according to the Journal.

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