Contribution of the DIAMA team to the WHO recommendations

The DIAMA consortium aims to validate new culture-free approaches to improve the management of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in Africa. In this context, three DIAMA sites participated in the field validation of Cepheid's new GeneXpert MTB/XDR cartridge. This cartridge is capable of detecting resistance to second-line drugs such as Isoniazid and fluoroquinolones used in the new WHO-recommended complete oral regimen for the treatment of rifampicin-resistant TB in less than 2 hours. Furthermore, it requires no special infrastructure or technical skills and can be implemented on existing equipment. More information can be found here.