Laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) traditionally relies on smear microscopy and
culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from clinical samples. With recent advances in
technology, there have been numerous efforts to develop new diagnostic tests for TB that
overcome the low sensitivity and specificity and long turnover time associated with current
diagnostic tests. Molecular biological tests based on nucleic acid amplification have brought
an unprecedented opportunity for the rapid and specific detection of M. tuberculosis from …