Investigation of species distribution of nontuberculosis mycobacteria isolated from sputum samples in patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis.

Aims: Rapid and accurate identification of mycobacteria is important for the species-specific treatment of the disease. The aim of this study was the identification at the species level of 34 nontuberculous mycobacteria strains isolated from respiratory tract samples and 14 reference strains as by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Materials and Methods: Isolates derived from clinical specimens were subcultured in the Lowenstein-Jensen medium. Deoxyribonucleic acid isolation was carried out using the boiling method. PCR amplification was performed using primers specific to the hsp65 gene region. The PCR products were digested BstEII and HaEIII enzymes. All samples were studied comparatively by two different centers. Results: In our study, the most common species were found to be Mycobacterium intracellulare in 23.52% (8/34). The performance of the PCR-RFLP method in detecting mycobacteria was found to be 82.35%. Conclusions: The PCR-RFLP method is a rapid, cheap, and practical method for the identification of mycobacteria.

Multicenter evaluation of AYC.2.2 agar for the isolation of mycobacteria from clinical samples.

PURPOSE: The aim of this multicenter study is to evaluate AYC.2.2 agar for the isolation of mycobacteria from clinical samples. METHODS: Totally 5559 media were tested in 7 centers. AYC.2.2 agar media for the study were prepared by C1 and sent to other centers under appropriate conditions. Other media except AYC.2.2 agar were purchased commercially. The media were subjected to routine laboratory operations in the center where they were sent. After the samples received for routine processing (in all centers, samples were processed with the same method (NALC-NaOH)), they were cultivated on routine media and AYC.2.2 agar afterward. RESULTS: C1: Average growth time was determined as 12.74±3.74 days with MGIT 960 system; 24.42±4.75 days with LJ and 24.37±4.96 days with AYC.2.2 agar. C2: Average growth time was determined as 18.25±9.32 days with TK-Medium, 28.73±7.44 days with LJ, and 31.72±6.35 days with AYC.2.2 agar. C3: Average growth time was determined as 20.48±7.24 days with Ogawa medium, 20.74±7.12 days with LJ, and 20.26±7.43 days with AYC.2.2 agar. C4: Average growth time was determined as 15.27±6.37 days with MGIT 960 system, 22.14±9.1 days with LJ, and 22±8.45 days with AYC.2.2 agar. C5: Average growth time was determined as 13±4.24 days with MGIT 960 system, 32.16±6.23 days with LJ, and 33±5.73 days with AYC.2.2 agar. C6: Average growth time was determined as 9±3.11 days with MGIT 960 system, 18.68±5.32 days with LJ, and 18.34±4.63 days AYC.2.2 agar. C7: Average growth time was determined as 14.74±7.65 with MGIT 960 system, 26.01±8.21 days with LJ, and 26.24±7.88 days with AYC.2.2 agar. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, similar results were obtained with LJ and Ogawa media and AYC.2.2 agar. Furthermore, more studies should be conducted for isolation of M. tuberculosis and performing antibiotic susceptibility tests using AYC.2.2 agar before it can be used as a routine media in the laboratories.

[Using of the Sensititre MycoTB Plate Method for the Detection of Anti-tuberculous Drug Susceptibility of Rifampin Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Isolates]. / Rifampisine Dirençli Mycobacterium tuberculosis Kompleks Izolatlarinin Antitüberküloz Ilaç Duyarliligi Için Sensititre MycoTB Plak Yönteminin Kullanilmasi.

Members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) are the causative agents of tuberculosis (TB). Rifampin resistance in the clinical isolates of MTBC is an important indicator for multidrug resistant-TB (MDR-TB) cases. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate whether the Sensititre MycoTB plaque method is suitable for the routine use in determining drug susceptibility of rifampin resistant MTBC strains. Xpert MTBC/ RIF positive rifampin resistant 100 MTBC isolates were included in the study. Xpert MTBC/RIF (Cepheid, USA) test were performed after the samples were processed by homogenization and decontamination and acid-fast staining. Rifampin resistant clinical samples were cultured in automated MGIT/BACTEC 960 (Becton Dickinson, USA) system and acid fast bacteria (AFB) were investigated. The anti-TB drug susceptibility tests of all culture positive AFB and cord factor identified as MTBC by using a cart test (MPB64, Capilla TB-Neo, Tauns Laboratories, Inc., Numazu, Japan) were performed with the Löwenstein-Jensen proportion method (LJPM) and Sensititre MycoTB (Trek Diagnostic Systems, Cleveland, OH, USA) methods. For the comparison of the methods used, the tests were performed simultaneously. The standard LJPM was performed according to the previously described procedures by World Health Organization and the Sensititre MycoTB plate method was performed as defined by the manufacturer. The final concentrations of isoniazide, rifampin, rifabutin, ethambutol, ofloxacin, moxifloxacin amikacin, kanamycin, cycloserine, ethionamide and p-aminosalicylic acid in Löwenstein-Jensen media for LJPM were 0.2 µg/ml, 40.0 µg/ml, 20.0 µg/ml, 2.0 µg/ml, 2.0 µg/ml, 1.0 µg/ml, 4.0 µg/ml, 30.0 µg/ml, 30.0 µg/ml, 40.0 µg/ml, 40.0 µg/ml and 1.0 µg/ ml, respectively. The results were obtained in 14 days for all of the drugs in the Sensititre MycoTB plate method and in 28-42 days in the LJPM. In this study, the sensitivity and specificity percentages of the Sensititre MycoTB method and the categorical agreement between the two methods were calculated. The sensitivity and specificity percentages of the Sensititre MycoTB plate method were between 84.4-100% and 95.6- 100%, respectively. The categorical agreements between the two methods were 92-100% for the drugs tested in the study. Ethambutol was found to have the lowest sensitivity (84.4%) and specificity (95.6%). The sensitivities of isoniazide, ofloxacin, streptomycin, kanamycin, ethionamide and p-aminosalicylic acid were 98.8%, 90.0%, 94.3%, 87.5%, 91.7% and 95.6%, respectively, while rifampicin, rifabutin, moxifloxacin, amikacin, cycloserine were calculated as 100%. The specificities of isoniazid, rifampicin, rifabutin, ofloxacin, moxifloxacin, amikacin, kanamycin, and cycloserine were found to be 100%, streptomycin, ethionamide and p-aminosalicylic specificity were 96.9%, 97.4% and 98.9% respectively. The categorical agreement was 96-100% in all tested drugs except ethambutol (92%). As a result, although the cost is high, owing to the short incubation period, easy to perform, the possibility for evaluating both first and second line anti-TB drugs simultaneously, determination of minimum inhibitory concentration values of the drugs, long shelf life, high sensitivity, specificity and the categorical agreement values, the Sensititre MycoTB method was determined as an effective method that can be used especially in laboratories where the workload and the MDR-TB cases are high.

Optimization of isothermal amplification method for Mycobacteriumtuberculosisdetection and visualization method for fieldwork

Background/aim: Tuberculosis is still one of the most contagious diseases around the world. Key factors of tuberculosis control are rapid diagnostic, efficient treatment, and prevention of contamination by surveillance and monitoring. However, culture is the gold standard method for laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis; the results are several weeks to obtain. In order to prevent contamination of tuberculosis, diagnosis must be made in short time and treatment should be started as soon as possible. The aim of this study is to optimize the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method, which provides a much faster and more sensitive result than the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and allows the replication of target nucleic acid sequences under isothermal conditions without the need for laboratory infrastructure. Materials and methods: Sputum samples were homogenized with 5% trypsin solution in CaCl2 to obtain DNA.DNA was purified using QIAGEN QIAamp DNA mini kit. LAMP primers were design using Primer explorer V5 program according to IS6110 gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. NEB Bst 3.0 DNA polymerase kit was used for LAMP reactions. Besides, LAMP reactions were compared with TaqMan based RT-PCR method using NEB's Taq polymerase kit. Finally, for visualization of LAMP products, lateral flow dipsticks that produced by Milenia Biotec, colorimetric 2X LAMP master mix that produced by NEB and 2% w/v agarose gel electrophoresis methods were used. Results: Optimum amplification temperature for LAMP was found to be 71.4 °C. The detection limit of the method was 102 CFU/mL and sensitivity was determined 100% compared to five different Mycobacterium species. Conclusion: The current study indicated that the LAMP-LFD and colorimetric LAMP protocol optimized with sputum samples can be reliable used as a rapid, sensitive and specific assay in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in the field.

[Frequently Isolated Slow Growing Nontuberculous Mycobacteria from Pulmonary Samples and Evaluation of Drug Susceptibility Testing Results in a Referral Hospital in Turkey]. / Türkiye'de Bir Referans Hastanede Akciger Örneklerinden Siklikla Izole Edilen Yavas Üreyen Tüberküloz Disi Mikobakteriler ve Ilaç Duyarlilik Sonuçlarinin Degerlendirilmesi.

Most of the nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms and free-living in nature. NTM can cause a wide range of infections. However, pulmonary NTM disease is the most frequent clinical picture. The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate drug susceptibility of slow growing NTM isolated from pulmonary samples of patients prediagnosed as tuberculosis between 2014 and 2018 in Atatürk Chest Diseases and Chest Surgery Training and Research Hospital Microbiology Laboratory by a commercial microtube dilution plaque method. A total of 435 NTM strains obtained from suspected TB patients were included in the study. After the samples were processed by homogenization and decontamination and acid-fast staining, culture in two solid media (Löwenstein-Jensen, Ogawa) and in MGIT-BACTEC960 automated system were performed. Acid-fast bacilli isolated from culture media were identified by using cart test (MPB64, Capilla TB-Neo) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based reverse hybridization "line probe assay (LPA)" method (GenoType MycobacteriumCM/AS, Hain Lifescience, GmbH, Germany). After DNA isolation from the culture, PCR was performed by using the primers specific for mycobacterial 23S rRNA spacer region. PCR products were then hybridized with the probes specific for Mycobacterium species on nitrocellulose strips according to the recommendations of the manufacturer and the results were evaluated. In this study, Mycobacterium avium (n= 77, 17.7%), Mycobacterium intracellulare (n= 70, 16.1%), Mycobacterium szulgai (n= 19, 4.4%), Mycobacterium kansasii (n= 10, 2.3%) ve Mycobacterium smiae (n= 9, 2.1%) were isolated as slowly growing mycobacteria from the pulmonary patients. Susceptibility testing was performed in cation-adjusted Mueller-Hinton broth (CAMH), supplemented with "oleic acid, albumin dextrose catalase" according to CLSI/ M24-A2 guideline recommendations. For the antibiotic susceptibility test, ready-to-use plaque drugs for slow-growing mycobacteria (SLOMYCO-Sensititre, TREK Diagnostic Systems Ltd, UK), were used. M.intracellulare, M.avium, M.kansasii and M.smiae isolates were found to be sensitive to clarithromycin %100, %99, %100 and %100, respectively. For M.intracellulare and M.avium isolates, moxifloxacin and linezolid sensitivity values were found to be 91%, 64% and 80%, 74% respectively. M.kansasii isolates were more sensitive than M.simiae isolates to the most of the drugs. M.kansasii isolates, were susceptible to rifabutin, rifampin, moxifloxacin, amikacin, linezolid, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), ciprofloxacin and etambutol, with the frequencies of 100%, 90%, 100%, 100%, 80%, 70% and 50%, respectively. The study showed that the species identification and drug susceptibility testing of frequently isolated slow-growing NTM's from pulmonary specimens could guide for the treatment.

A new colorimetric method for rapid detection of ethambutol and streptomycin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: crystal violet decolorization assay (CVDA).

Streptomycin (STR) and ethambutol (EMB) are important drugs used for the treatment of tuberculosis. There is a need for fast, reliable and inexpensive methods for detecting resistance to these drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the crystal violet decolorization assay (CVDA) for the detection of STR and EMB resistance that is important drugs in tuberculosis treatment. In this study, drug susceptibility testing was performed on 140 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates provided from nine centers. Three tubes were used for each isolate. One of the tubes had a concentration of 2 mg/L STR and the other 5 mg/L EMB. The third was drug-free control tube. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPD), negative predictive value (NPD) and agreement for STR were found to be 81.8%, 94.6%, 87.8%, 91.5% and 90.57%, respectively. For EMB, sensitivity, specificity, PPD, NPD, and agreement were found to be 76%, 98.23%, 90.47%, 94.87% and 94.2%, respectively. The results were obtained in 11.3 ± 2.7 days (8-21 days). CVDA is rapid, reliable, inexpensive, and easy to perform for rapid detection of STR and EMB resistance, and it could be adapted for drug susceptibility testing.

Multicenter evaluation of crystal violet decolorization assay (CVDA) for rapid detection of isoniazid and rifampicin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The aim of this multicenter study was to evaluate the performance of the crystal violet decolorization assay (CVDA) for detection of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). This study was performed in 11 centers in two phases. A total of 156 isolates were tested for INH and RIF resistance. In the phase I, 106 clinical isolates were tested in the Center 1-7. In the phase 2, 156 clinical isolates were tested in the center 1-6, center 8-11. Eighty six of 156 tested isolates were the same in phase I. Agreements were 96.2-96.8% for INH and 98.1-98.7% for RIF in the phase I-II, respectively. Mean time to obtain the results in the phase I was 14.3 ± 5.4 days. In the phase II, mean time to obtain the results was 11.6 ± 3.5 days. Test results were obtained within 14days for 62.3% (66/106) of isolates in the phase I and 81.4% (127/156) of isolates in the phase II. In conclusion, CVDA is rapid, reliable, inexpensive, and easy to perform for rapid detection of MDR-TB isolates. In addition, it could be adapted for drug susceptibility testing with all drugs both in developed and developing countries.

[Multicenter evaluation of the indirect nitrate reductase assay for the rapid detection of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis]. / Çok ilaca dirençli tüberkülozun hizli tespiti için dolayli nitrat redüktaz testinin çok merkezli degerlendirilmesi.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is defined as resistance to at least isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF), and it complicates the implementation of tuberculosis control programmes. The rapid detection of MDR-TB is crucial to reduce the transmission of disease. The nitrate reductase assay (NRA) is one of the colorimetric susceptibility test methods for rapid detection of MDR-TB and based on the ability of reduction of nitrate to nitrite by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the NRA for the rapid detection of MDR-TB. A total of 237 M.tuberculosis complex (MTC) isolates that were identified by the same method (BD MGIT(TM) TBc Identification Test, USA) from nine different medical centers in Turkey were included in the study. The susceptibility results of the isolates against INH and RIF obtained by reference test (Bactec MGIT(TM) 960, BD, USA) were then compared with NRA. In order to ensure consistency between centers, Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) medium with antibiotics and without antibiotics (growth control) and Griess reagent solution were prepared in a single center (Ondokuz Mayis University School of Medicine, Medical Microbiology Department) and sent to all participant centers with the standardized test procedure. After the inoculation of bacteria into the test tubes, the tubes were incubated at 37°C, and after seven days of incubation, 500 µl Griess reagent was added to the LJ medium without antibiotics. If a color change was observed, an equal volume of Griess reagent was added to test LJ media with antibiotics. When a color change was observed in LJ media with antibiotics, it was considered that the isolate was resistant to tested antibiotics. Among 237 MTC isolates, 16 were resistant only to INH and nine were resistant only to RIF; 93 isolates (39.2%) were resistant (MDR) and 119 isolates (50.2%) were susceptible to both of the drugs determined with the reference susceptibility test. In the study, five INH-resistant isolates determined with reference method were found susceptible with NRT and eight INH-susceptible isolates determined with reference method were found resistant with NRT. In contrast, one RIF-resistant isolate determined with reference method was found susceptible with NRT and three RIF-susceptible determined isolates were found resistant with NRT. Accordingly, the concordance rate between the reference method and NRA were estimated as 94.5% for INH and 98.3% for RIF. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of NRA were detected as 95.4%, 93.7%, 92.8% and 96% for INH, and 99%, 97.8%, 97.1% and 99.2% for RIF, respectively. The results of the 111 isolates were obtained on the seventh day, while the rest of the results were obtained between 10-14 days. In conclusion, the data of this multicenter study showed that NRA is a reliable, relatively inexpensive and practical method to perform for the rapid detection of MDR-TB.

[Tuberculosis Laboratory Surveillance Network (TuLSA) study group. The first step for national tuberculosis laboratory surveillance: Ankara, 2011]. / Ulusal Tüberküloz Laboratuvar Sürveyansina ilk adim: Ankara, 2011.

The most effective method for monitoring country-level drug resistance frequency and to implement the necessary control measures is the establishment of a laboratory-based surveillance system. The aim of this study was to summarize the follow up trend of the drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) cases, determine the load of resistance and evaluate the capacities of laboratories depending on laboratory quality assurance system for the installation work of National Tuberculosis Laboratory Surveillance Network (TuLSA) which has started in Ankara in 2011. TuLSA studies was carried out under the coordination of National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NRL) with the participation of TB laboratories and dispensaries. Specimens of TB patients, reported from health institutions, were followed in TB laboratories, and the epidemiological information was collected from the dispensaries. One isolate per patient with the drug susceptibility test (DST) results were sent to NRL from TB laboratories and in NRL the isolates were rechecked with the genotypical (MTBDRplus, Hain Lifescience, Germany) and phenotypical (MGIT 960, BD, USA) DST methods. Molecular epidemiological analysis were also performed by spoligotyping and MIRU/VNTR. Second-line DST was applied to the isolates resistant to rifampin. A total of 1276 patients were reported between January 1st to December 31th 2011, and 335 cases were defined as "pulmonary TB from Ankara province". The mean age of those patients was 43.4 ± 20 years, and 67.5% were male. Three hundred seventeen (94.6%) patients were identified as new cases. The average sample number obtained from pulmonary TB cases was 3.26 ± 2.88, and 229 (68.3%) of them was culture positive. DST was applied to all culture positive isolates; 90.4% (207/229) of cases were susceptible to the five drugs tested (ethambutol, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, rifampicin, streptomycin). Eight (3.5%) of the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR-TB), while no extensively drug-resistant strains were detected. MDR-TB is likely to occur in 63.3 times more among previously treated cases, and 73.3 times more in legal aliens. The achievement of therapy among pulmonary TB cases was 91.9%. Spoligotyping performed for 221 M.tuberculosis complex isolates, showed that all strains were clustered in nine groups. SIT 41 (105/221; 47.5%) was the most frequent spoligotype detected, and clustering rate based on MIRU-VNTR results were found as 16.3%. All of the clustered strains were sensitive while all of MDR-TB isolates showed specific MIRU-VNTR profiles. In conclusion, TuLSA studies started in Ankara in 2011 and the system is still expanding in the country. Our data obtained with TuLSA have been published as a regional surveillance data in the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2011, and as a national surveillance data in Global Tuberculosis Report 2012.

Clinical importance of serum neopterin level in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE: Neopterin is a sensitive marker for cell-mediated immune response. Because of this, the neopterin levels of body fluids show cell-mediated immune response in different infectious diseases which involve T cells and macrophages. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical importance of neopterin levels in patients with tuberculosis and compare with those levels of healthy subjects. METHODS: Seventy patients with tuberculosis (46 newly diagnosed cases, 15 relapse cases, and 9 multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cases) and 18 healthy adult individuals were included in the study. Neopterin concentrations were measured by the ELISA method according to the protocol of the manufacturer. Chi-square test was used in statistical analysis; p⩽0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Serum mean neopterin levels were 23.74±21.8nmol/L (median: 18.3) in newly diagnosed patients with pulmonary tuberculosis; 28.69±21.2nmol/L (median: 21.2) in relapse patients and 31.28±14nmol/L (median: 25.4) in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cases, respectively. Serum mean neopterin levels were 4.03±5.12nmol/L (median: 5.1) in healthy subjects. The serum neopterin levels were found to be significantly higher in patients with tuberculosis than the control group. There was a statistically significant correlation between neopterin positivity (neopterin level ⩾10nmol/L was accepted to be positive) and clinical symptoms of hemoptysis and weight loss. Besides statistically significant correlations between neopterin positivity and hemoglobin level, sedimentation rate, mean leukocyte count and radiological involvement (localized or diffuse) were determined. CONCLUSION: Serum neopterin levels can be used as a helper laboratory finding for the diagnosis of patients with tuberculosis. For this aim, further controlled studies are needed.