Evolutionary Development of Molecular Tools in the Diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: A Review

Nucleic acid amplification technologies such as PCR are revolutionizing the detection of infectious pathogens such as tuberculosis (TB). Amplification technology offers the potential for the diagnosis of TB in a few hours with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity. However, molecular assays neither replace nor reduce the need for conventional smear and culture, speciation and antibiotic sensitivity assays. It is likely that future detection systems may be sufficiently sensitive to detect small numbers of pathogens without any amplification. Whatever the format and instrumentation for the assays, the impact of molecular testing on patient care will be substantially greater in the future.