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TB Diagnostics: Journey from Smear Microscopy to Whole Genome Sequencing

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Mycobacterium Tuberculosis: Molecular Infection Biology, Pathogenesis, Diagnostics and New Interventions

Abstract

Tuberculosis is not just a basic clinical and general issue of the whole world. It has attracted worldwide attention of the entire scientific majority because of its alarming rate of incidence and mortality. Since history of early examination of tuberculosis and its drug resistance, it has been proved that the diagnosis upgrades that enhances the survival and early case detection related to early treatment initiation. Careful bacteriological assurance and general prosperity approach to manage TB rely upon initial microscopic examination, solid & liquid culture methods, rapid molecular and standard DST assays.

For each assay of detection, there are new procedures and advancements adopted since their inception. Developing diagnostic techniques having access to quick accurate results, near-patient point-of-care diagnostics are now vital to curb and control TB and HIV-TB burden in resource-poor countries. This chapter has focused on the journey of those diagnostic techniques which remain the mainstay of TB diagnosis from early diagnostic work of smear microscopy to latest techniques involving whole genome sequencing. Starting late it is basic to comprehend that at present, there is no autonomous test for the quick acknowledgment of tuberculosis in all patients. While some new frameworks are direct, others have complex components and require sophisticated infrastructure and trained manpower. It is therefore imperative to choose from different diagnostic assays individually or to combine them inside a country’s national TB control program.

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Abbreviations

AFB:

Acid-fast bacilli

ATT:

Anti-tubercular therapy

BCG:

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin

CBNAAT:

Cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test

CDC:

Center for disease control

CFP:

Culture filtrate protein

CFU:

Colony-forming unit

CRI:

Colorimetric redox indicator

DB:

Database

DNA:

Deoxyribonucleic acid

DR:

Direct repeat

DST:

Drug susceptibility testing

ESAT:

Early secreted antigenic target

FDA:

Food and Drug Administration

FIND:

Foundation for Innovative Newer Diagnostics

FM:

Fluorescent microscopy

HIV:

Human immunodeficiency virus

IFNg:

Interferon gamma

IGRA:

Interferon-gamma release assays

INH:

Isoniazid

IS6110:

Insertion sequence

IVD:

In vitro diagnostics

LAM:

Lipoarabinomannan

LAMP:

Loop-mediated amplification PCR

LED:

Light-emitting diode

LJ:

Lowenstein Jensen

LM:

Liquid medium

LPA:

Line probe assay

LTBI:

Latent tuberculosis infection

MDR:

Multidrug resistance

MIRU-VNTR:

Mycobacterium interspersed repeated units-variable number of tandem repeats

MODS:

Microscopic observation of drug susceptibility

MTB:

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

MTBC:

Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex

NGS:

Next-generation sequencing

NRA:

Nitrate reductase assay

NTM:

Nontuberculous Mycobacterium

OADC:

Oleic acid, albumin, dextrose, catalase

PANTA:

Polymyxin B, azlocillin, nalidixic acid, trimethoprim, amphotericin B

PPD:

Purified protein derivative

PPV:

Positive predictive value

RFLP:

Restriction fragment length polymorphism

RIF:

Rifampicin

RNTCP:

Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program

rRNA:

Ribosomal ribonucleic acid

SLID:

Second-line injectable drugs

SPR:

Surface plasmon resonance

TAT:

Turnaround time

TB:

Tuberculosis

TST:

Tuberculin skin test

TTD:

Time to detection

VOC’s:

Volatile organic compounds

WGS:

Whole genome sequencing

WHO:

World Health Organization

XDR:

Extensive drug resistance

ZN:

Ziehl Neelsen

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Acknowledgment

Foundation for Innovative Newer Diagnostics (FIND) India deserves a special acknowledgment for providing permission to cite a table (annexure) summarizing the TB diagnostic pipeline showing progress at different development stages.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Viral Hepatitis Division, National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Himanshu Vashistha

  2. New Delhi Tuberculosis Center, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    K. K. Chopra

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  1. Himanshu Vashistha
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  2. K. K. Chopra
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. JH Institute of Molecular Medicine, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Seyed Ehtesham Hasnain

  2. Inflammation Biology and Cell Signaling Laboratory, ICMR-National Institute of Pathology, Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Nasreen Z. Ehtesham

  3. JH Institute of Molecular Medicine, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Sonam Grover

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Vashistha, H., Chopra, K.K. (2019). TB Diagnostics: Journey from Smear Microscopy to Whole Genome Sequencing. In: Hasnain, S., Ehtesham, N., Grover, S. (eds) Mycobacterium Tuberculosis: Molecular Infection Biology, Pathogenesis, Diagnostics and New Interventions. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9413-4_23

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