Assessing the utility of Xpert ® MTB/RIF as a screening tool for patients admitted to medical wards in South Africa

19Citations
Citations of this article
104Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

Many hospital inpatients in South Africa have undiagnosed active and drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). Early detection of TB is essential to inform immediate infection control actions to minimize transmission risk. We assessed the utility of Xpert ® MTB/RIF (GeneXpert) as a screening tool for medical admissions at a large public hospital in South Africa. Consecutive adult patients admitted to medical wards between March-June 2013 were enrolled; sputum specimens were collected and tested by GeneXpert, smear microscopy, and culture. Chest X-rays (CXRs) were conducted as standard care for all patients admitted. We evaluated the proportion of patients identified with TB disease through each diagnostic method. Among enrolled patients whose medical charts were available for review post-discharge, 61 (27%) were diagnosed with TB; 34 (56% of diagnosed TB cases) were GeneXpert positive. When patients in whom TB was identified by other means were excluded, GeneXpert yielded only four additional TB cases. However, GeneXpert identified rifampicin-resistant TB in one patient, who was initially diagnosed based on CXR. The utility of GeneXpert for TB screening was limited in an institution where CXR is conducted routinely and which serves a population in which TB and TB/HIV co-infection are highly prevalent, but it allowed for rapid detection of rifampicin resistance.

References Powered by Scopus

Rapid molecular detection of tuberculosis and rifampin resistance

1903Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Feasibility, diagnostic accuracy, and effectiveness of decentralised use of the Xpert MTB/RIF test for diagnosis of tuberculosis and multidrug resistance: A multicentre implementation study

850Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampin resistance by use of on-demand, near-patient technology

735Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

Xpert MTB/RIF and Xpert MTB/RIF ultra for pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance in adults

260Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Xpert Ultra versus Xpert MTB/RIF for pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance in adults with presumptive pulmonary tuberculosis

109Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Immuno-PCR, a new technique for the serodiagnosis of tuberculosis

38Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Heidebrecht, C. L., Podewils, L. J., Pym, A. S., Cohen, T., Mthiyane, T., & Wilson, D. (2016). Assessing the utility of Xpert ® MTB/RIF as a screening tool for patients admitted to medical wards in South Africa. Scientific Reports, 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep19391

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 36

58%

Researcher 21

34%

Professor / Associate Prof. 3

5%

Lecturer / Post doc 2

3%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Medicine and Dentistry 40

68%

Nursing and Health Professions 9

15%

Agricultural and Biological Sciences 5

8%

Immunology and Microbiology 5

8%

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free