Evaluation of the BacT/ALERT PZA kit in comparison with the BACTEC 460TB PZA for testing Mycobacterium tuberculosis susceptibility to pyrazinamide

Objectives: To compare the performance of the BacT/ALERT PZA kit (BioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) with the radiometric BACTEC 460TB PZA test (Becton-Dickinson method) for testing Mycobacterium tuberculosis susceptibility to pyrazinamide. Methods: A total of 50 M. tuberculosis strains were tested. Thirty of these strains had been previously considered pyrazinamide-susceptible and 20 pyrazinamide-resistant by BACTEC 460TB. Results: Final overall agreement was 100%. Time needed for the susceptibility test was 6.69 days for the BacT/ALERT PZA kit versus 8.07 days for the BACTEC 460TB PZA test. Conclusions: BacT/ALERT PZA test isan excellent alternative to BACTEC 460TB for pyrazinamide susceptibility testing. © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.