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In this issue, M.H. Hazbón reviews recent advances in molecular methods for early diagnosis of tuberculosis and drug-resistant tuberculosis. This article has much in common with other “state of the art” reviews that have been appearing in the world’s literature on molecular tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics for some time now. Most of these reviews are well written, factual accounts of advances in this important field of research. In the last two decades much has been stated and even more has been promised about the role of genomics in providing alternatives to the conventional methods that have been used for over a century. Emphasis is often given to the development of new diagnostic tools with turn-around times measured in hours rather than days, weeks or months. However, in practical terms, very little ofwhat is often described with such vigorous enthusiasm offers actual relief to the modern TB laboratory specialists or indeed much of a challenge to the old, conventional, smear microscopy and drug susceptibility testing (DST). As the author of the above article laments, only two of these methods, based on nucleic acid amplification and detection of specific mycobacterial sequences and mutations, have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA.

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2012-04-02   |   325 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 24 Núm.5. Junio 2004 Pags. 163-164 Biomédica 2004; 24(Supl. 1)