| الوصف: |
Background Nucleic acid amplification (NAA) tests rapidly detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex directly from clinical specimens, providing valuable results for those evaluated for tuberculosis. Methods We analyzed characteristics of cases with NAA testing performed, compared cases with positive and negative NAA test results, and calculated turnaround time and time-to-treatment for all verified cases reported to the National Tuberculosis Surveillance System in the United States during 2011–2017. Results Among 67,082 verified tuberculosis cases with NAA testing information, 30,820 (45.9%) were reported as not having a NAA test performed; the proportion without NAA testing declined annually, from 60.5% in 2011 to 33.6% in 2017. Of 67,082 verified cases, 27,912 (41.6%) had positive, 8,215 (12.2%) had negative, and 135 (0.2%) had indeterminate NAA test results. Among the 33,937 cases with an acid-fast-bacilli–smear-positive result, 70.9% (24,093) had a NAA test performed; 38.0% (11,490) of the 30,244 with an acid-fast-bacilli–smear-negative result had a NAA test performed. Although sputum was the most common specimen type tested, 79.8% (7,023 of 8,804) of non-sputum specimen types had a positive NAA test result. Overall, 63.7% of cases with laboratory testing had NAA test results reported Conclusions Our analyses demonstrate increased NAA test utilization between 2011 and 2017. However, a large proportion of cases did not have a NAA test performed, reflecting challenges in broader uptake, suggesting an opportunity to expand use of this diagnostic methodology. |
