Emerging Drug-Resentant Strains are Posing Significant Challenges to the Global Fight Against Tuberculosis (TB) and it is a Critical Task to Detect Treatment Failure as Early as Possible.

Researchers from the Marius Nasta Institute (MNI) and the Research Center Borsel, Leibniz Lung Center (FZB) has a new test for the early detection of changes in the bacterial load of mycaster is, which provides an indication of treatment success within hours . The results of the study are Published in the Journal of Infection,

TB is a bacterial infection caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis. It primarily affects the lungs and remains one of the world’s deadliest infecticide diseases, particularly in its drug -resistant forms. Current Methods for Tracking Pulmonary TB, The Most Common Form of the Disease, Rely on Sputum Smear Microscopy, DNA Amplification Tests, and Cultures of M. Tuberculosis.

However, these approaches have notable limitations. Microscopy, While Quick and Cost-Effective, Struggles to distrusting DNA Amplification Tests, Such as Genexpert, May Yield False Positive Results for Patients Who have successfully complete treatment. Cultures, considered the gold standard, are accurate but require weeks for results.

As part of a research project between the research center, leibniz lung center and the Marius Nasta Institute (MNI) in Bucharest, Romania, Medical Student Marit NEUMANN MARIT NEUMANS or two years to evaluate a new test for the early Detection of changes in the bacterial load in patients infected with drug-resistant M. Tuberculosis.

This test, the so-called molecular bacterial load assay (Mbla), represents a novel innovative tool for monitoring tb treatment. The assay measures m. tuberculosis 16s rrna, a marker of viable bacteria, through reverse transcriptase pcr.

“Unlike traditional methods, MBLA provides results in hours instead of weeks, streamlining the monitoring process, which is extremely important for drug-resistant TB,” says Neumann, first author of the study.

To validate this test for tracking the treatment response of patients with drug-resistant tb, resarchers at the research centers Tensively Drug-Adsistant (Pre-XDR/XDR ) TB. Patients in this cohort was monitored weekly by microscopy, genexpert, culture and mbla, providing rich data for a comparative analysis.

“Mbla demonstrated excellent conordance with culture results, particularly in the early stages of treatment. Drug-adjustant patients during treatment, “Says neumann of the results . “Hence, The Mbla Assay Offers a Culture-Free Alternative With Comparable Accuracy to Microscopy and Suprior Precision Over DNA AMPLIFICATION TESTS LIKE LIKE GENEXPERT.”

The Findings Underline Mbla’s Potential to Transform TB Management by Significantly Reducing Time-TO-Results to Evaluate Treatment Response. This tool is poised to improve patient care and accelerate the evaluation of new anti-tb drugs in early-pahase clinical trials.

Provided by Forschungszentrum Borstel, Leibniz Lungeenzentrum