Diagnosis

Diagnosis

2.4. Follow-on diagnostic tests for detection of additional drug-resistance after TB confirmation

2.4.1 Low complexity automated NAATs for detection of resistance to isoniazid and second-line anti-TB agents

Among 105 countries possessing representative data on resistance to fluoroquinolones from the past 15 years, the proportion of MDR/RR-TB cases with resistance to any fluoroquinolone for which testing was done was 20.1% (95% CI: 15.5–25.0%) (1). Thus, rapid and early testing for the detection of fluoroquinolone resistance is essential for determining eligibility for treatment with the all-oral 9–12 month standardized shorter regimen for MDR/RR-TB.

1.7. Target audience

The target audience for these guidelines includes laboratory managers, clinicians and other health care staff, HIV and TB programme managers, policymakers, technical agencies, donors and implementing partners supporting the use of TB diagnostics in resource-limited settings.

Individuals responsible for programme planning, budgeting, mobilizing resources and implementing training activities for the programmatic management of DR-TB may also find this document useful.

1.5. Target audience

The target audience for these guidelines includes laboratory managers, clinicians and other health care staff, HIV and TB programme managers, policy-makers, technical agencies, donors and implementing partners supporting the use of TB diagnostic tests in resource-limited settings.

The document may also be of use to individuals responsible for programme planning, budgeting, mobilizing resources and implementing training activities for the programmatic management of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB).