Evaluation of the Xpert MTB/RIF Assay for the Diagnosis of Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in an Intermediate-Prevalence Setting

Early and accurate detection of tuberculosis (TB) is a global priority for TB control. In order to obtain results in a short period of time, nucleic acid amplification tests are increasingly used worldwide for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis. The Xpert MTB/RIF® (Cepheid, USA) is a commercially available, real-time PCR-based assay, which can detect both TB and resistance to rifampicin directly in clinical samples. The aim of this study was to...