Diagnosis- Laboratory Procedures

These guidelines for laboratory services are contained in a series of three manuals, two of which are focused on the technical aspects of tuberculosis microscopy and culture and a third which deals with laboratory management, including aspects such as laboratory safety and proficiency testing. These manuals have been developed for use in low-and middle-income countries with high tuberculosis prevalence and incidence rates. Not only are they targeted to everyday laboratory use, but also for incorporation in teaching and training of laboratory and other health care staff.

This online course is designed to provide TB control staff, clinicians, and nurses a brief overview of basic principles of molecular technology and test platforms used for molecular testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a basis for understanding how mutations are associated with drug resistance and what reporting language might be used to describe resistance results.

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance for clinicians, nurses, and hospital infection preventionists on the use of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay when making decisions to discontinue airborne infection isolation for persons with suspected, infectious pulmonary TB.

This guide is intended to familiarize those who are providing technical assistance to TB laboratories in low- and middle-income countries with World Health Organization recommendations and international best practices.

This webinar describes the different NAATs (nucleic acid amplification tests) that are available, including the Gen-Probe MTD test, the Xpert MTB/RIF test, and Pyrosequencing (PSQ), as well as rapid molecular tests for drug resistance, including PSQ, line probe assays, and the CDC MDDR Service.

This document provides a generic framework for implementing TB diagnostics. Topics covered include managerial, technical, and operational processes required for developing and implementing a national strategy for TB laboratories.

This fact sheet, available online or via fax only, discusses the tuberculin skin test and when to suspect TB disease. Specifically, it discusses administering the tuberculin skin test, interpreting the results, false-positive and false-negative results, two-step testing, anergy, and interpreting reactions in persons vaccinated with BCG.

This resource presents a method of assessing and updating laboratory procedures to assist in detecting TB early by reducing lab turnaround time for reporting positive smear, culture, identification, and susceptibility results.

These guidelines for laboratory services are contained in a series of three manuals, two of which are focused on the technical aspects of tuberculosis microscopy and culture and a third which deals with laboratory management, including aspects such as laboratory safety and proficiency testing. These manuals have been developed for use in low-and middle-income countries with high tuberculosis prevalence and incidence rates. Not only are they targeted to everyday laboratory use, but also for incorporation in teaching and training of laboratory and other health care staff.

These guidelines for laboratory services are contained in a series of three manuals, two of which are focused on the technical aspects of tuberculosis microscopy and culture and a third which deals with laboratory management, including aspects such as laboratory safety and proficiency testing. These manuals have been developed for use in low-and middle-income countries with high tuberculosis prevalence and incidence rates. Not only are they targeted to everyday laboratory use, but also for incorporation in teaching and training of laboratory and other health care staff.