Clinical Evaluation of a Line-Probe Assay for Tuberculosis Detection and Drug-Resistance Prediction in Namibia

Treatment of tuberculosis requires rapid information about Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) drug susceptibility to ensure effective therapy and optimal outcomes. At the tuberculosis referral hospital in Windhoek, Namibia, a country of high tuberculosis incidence, we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of a line-probe-assay (LPA), GenID, for the molecular diagnosis of Mtb infection and drug resistance in patients with suspected tuberculosis (cohort 1) and confirmed rifampin (RIF)-resistant tuberculosis (cohort 2). GenID test results were compared to Xpert MTB/RIF and/or Mtb culture and antimicrobial suceptibilty testing. GenID LPA was applied to 79 and 55 samples from patients in cohort 1 and cohort 2, respectively. The overall sensitivity of GenID LPA for the detection of Mtb DNA in sputum from patients with detectable and undetectable acid-fast bacilli by sputum smear microscopy was 93.3% (56/60; 95% confidence interval = 83.8–98.2) and 22.7% (5/22; 7.8–45.4). The sensitivity/specificity for the detection of drug resistance was 84.2% (32/38; 68.7–94.0)/100% (19/19; 82.4–100.0) for RIF, 89.7% (26/29; 72.6–97.8)/91.7% (22/24; 73.0–99.0) for isoniazid, and 85.7% (6/7; 42.1–99.6)/94.7% (18/19; 74.0–99.9) for fluoroquinolones; 23.6% of tests for second-line injectable resistance were invalid despite repeat testing. The diagnosis of tuberculosis by detection of Mtb DNA in sputum by GenID LPA depends strongly on the detection of acid-fast bacilli in sputum specimen. Prediction of drug resistance by GenID did not reach the World Health Organization (WHO) target product profile. IMPORTANCE Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) drug-resistance detection is crucial for successful control of tuberculosis. Line-probe assays (LPA) are frequently used to detect resistance to rifampin, isoniazid, fluoroquinolones (FQs), and second-line injectables (SLIs). GenID RIF/isoniazid (INH), FQ, and SLI LPA have not been widely tested and used so far. This study tested the diagnostic performance of the GenID LPA in a high-incidence TB/HIV, real-world setting in Namibia. The LPA demonstrates only an acceptable diagnostic performance for Mtb and drug-resistance detection. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity fall short of the WHO suggested target product profiles for LPA.