Tuberculosis molecular bacterial load assay in the management of tuberculosis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Treatment monitoring remains a challenge in tuberculosis. The development of the tuberculosis molecular bacterial load assay (TB-MBLA) opens the possibility of real-time treatment monitoring. This review summarizes recent TB-MBLA research and outlines a future research agenda. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies show that TB-MBLA can be applied a wide range of specimens to make a quantitative assessment of the number live M. tuberculosis organisms rapidly. This allows real-time monitoring of treatment response that simplifies patient management and facilitates comparison of different treatment regimens. SUMMARY: The ability to measure the number of live organisms in real-time could improve treatment outcome. The TB-MBLA should revolutionize our understanding of the pathology of tuberculosis with significant implications for clinical practice and research.