Evaluation of the modified colorimetric resazurin microtiter plate-based antibacterial assay for rapid and reliable tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing
- Author:
- Victoria Katawera, Mark Siedner, Yap Boum II
- Publisher:
- BMC Microbiology
- Publication Date:
- 27 October 2014
- Tags:
- Africa, Science and Biotechnology, Tuberculosis
Background: The resazurin microtiter assay (classic REMA), a colorimetric liquid culture-based drug susceptibility assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), has been endorsed by the World Health Organization. The assay requires 8-16 days to obtain results, delaying management of drug resistant tuberculosis patients. A modified REMA which allows results in as little as 24 hours for bacterial strains, has been developed and validated using Staphylococcus aureus, but has not yet been evaluated for MTB .