Evaluation of the TB Ag MPT64 Rapid test for the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

Rapid identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in cultured samples is important for starting appropriate treatment. We evaluated the performance of the TB Ag MPT64 Rapid test directly from 131 BACTEC MGIT 960 culture-positive samples: 113 were identified as M. tuberculosis complex and 18 as non-tuberculous mycobacteria. The sensitivity and specificity of the TB Ag MPT64 Rapid test were respectively 96.5% and 100% compared to the polymerase chain reaction. The overall concordance of the TB Ag MPT64 Rapid test was 969%. The TB Ag MPT64 Rapid test is easy, sensitive, and does not require a high level of skill or specific equipment.