TB TaqMan Array Card on sputum

What is it about?

In this work, we upgraded the TB-TAC card (version 2), which included not only mutation probes but also wild-type probes, added several new emerging rpoB mutations to better capture rifampin resistance, included genotypic assays to detect linezolid resistance, and most importantly evaluated the performance of the assay on direct sputum samples

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Why is it important?

A benefit of TAC is the ability to interrogate and identify specific mutationsÐhere we identified 30 unique SNPs. Most importantly, TAC is easy to perform in the field. TAC cards, once procured, are stable at ambient temperature and lab preparation time involves only DNA extraction and loading the card. TAC on smear positive sputum could potentially be used alongside other diagnostic and treatment algorithms. For example, in resource limited settings that use only GeneXpert and line probe assays, TAC with assays for gyrA and pncA could be used to license WHO-endorsed short course MDR treatment if gyrA and pncA had no resistance mutations; or TAC with a broader set of assays could be used guide individualized therapy