Why carry out this study?

Early detection of tuberculosis and rapid, accurate identification of drug resistance are vital for effective treatment and management of the patients.

Xpert MTB/XDR (Xpert XDR), a World Health Organization-recommended molecular assay, detects resistance to isoniazid (INH), fluoroquinolones (FLQ), aminoglycosides (AMG), and ethionamide (ETH). However, its performance in Bangladesh remains unassessed.

What was learned from the study?

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of Xpert XDR assay in Bangladesh by comparing its results with the gold-standard phenotypic drug susceptibility test for INH, FLQ, AMG, and ETH resistance.

The Xpert XDR assay showed high accuracy in detecting resistance to INH, FLQ, and AMG but performed poorly for ETH.

The assay can be widely adopted across the country for rapid and reliable detection of resistance to INH, FLQ, and AMG, which will help clinicians in selecting effective treatment regimens for drug-resistant TB.