Report of an Expert Consultation on the Uses of Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests for the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis

This report on the uses of nucleic acid amplification (NAA) tests for diagnosis of TB is based on contributions of an expert panel of consultants convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). The report presents the background for the study; general considerations, such as optimum patient care and public health, the value of NAA testing for clinicians and TB control officials, limitations of the tests, costs and funding issues, and turnaround time; research needs; available information on molecular drug susceptibility tests; the general recommendations of the panel; the communication plan for the new recommendations; and recommendations to the Advisory Council for the Elimination of TB (ACET), CDC, and the Division of TB Elimination (DTBE). The recommendations included the following: that all U.S. clinicians and public health TB programs should have access to molecular tests to aid in the diagnosis of TB and that NAA testing for TB should become standard practice for TB suspects.