Diagnosis- Laboratory Procedures

This website is a comprehensive source of evidence syntheses, policies, guidelines, and research agendas on TB diagnosis. The website offers detailed guidance on how to conduct and report diagnostic research on TB, guidance on how to perform systematic reviews of diagnostics, tools on guideline development, including GRADE, and documents on improvement of laboratory quality and practice. All information is provided as open access, with no registration or fee requirements.

This fact sheet provides information on the Xpert MTB/RIF Assay.

This set of 11 training modules on the Xpert MTB/RIF assay was developed by Global Laboratory Initiative partners, including FIND, KNCV, USAID, CDC and WHO. The modules include topics such as biosafety, specimen collection and transportation, supplies management, installation, Xpert MTB/RIF procedures, recording and reporting, and troubleshooting.

This guide was developed by the Global Laboratory Initiative, which is one of the Working Groups of the Stop TB Partnership. The guide replaces both the 1998 WHO and 2000 IUATLD guides on smear microscopy and contains many new elements.

This laboratory manual references best practices from the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) MGIT Procedure Manual, and laboratory procedures from the National Institutes of Health TB Research Unit, as well as biosafety recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Information in the manual includes standardized procedures related to sputum collection, handling, analyses, and reporting.

This series of interactive modules was developed by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Topics include laboratory safety, specimen collection, AFB smear microscopy, mycobacterial culture, and drug susceptibility testing. The modules are also available in PDF format for use in laboratory training programs.

This brief online course allows users to test their knowledge regarding the Xpert MTB/RIF assay.

This notice explains that on September 30, 1999, the Food and Drug Administration approved a reformulated amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct (MTD) test for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in acid-fast Bacille (AFB) smear-positive and smear-negative respiratory specimens from patients suspected of having TB.

This manual is a joint publication of the Curry International TB Center and the Tuberculosis Control Branch of the California Department of Public Health. The 10 chapters and 4 appendices cover major topics pertaining to epidemiology, diagnosis, laboratory issues, treatment, medications, pediatrics, co-morbidities and special situations, monitoring and case management, adverse reactions, and treatment of contacts.

This report provides an overview of various TB diagnostic and drug sensitivity tests.