Times have Changed! The Molecular Revolution in TB Diagnostics and Detection of Drug Resistance

Abstract

During the late 1970s, before Prof Schoub went to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, USA to study under the famous rotavirus expert Dr Kapikian, the young Barry Schoub and Prof Hendrik Koornhof shared an interest in the aetiology of gastroenteritis in infants and children and were joint authors of research papers on this topic. One of these was on experimental techniques in the determination of the aetiology of diarrhoeal disease. Although not involved in tuberculosis (TB) research at the time, Prof Koornhof was co-author with Drs Helmuth Kleeberg and H Palmhert of a laboratory manual on tuberculosis methods published in 1970, with a second edition in 1980. The review that follows below deals with recent developments in molecular tests in the field of TB diagnosis and management, an area of interest to the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NTBRL), where both Prof Koornhof and Dr Gerrit Coetzee work at present. This article is dedicated to Prof Schoub, with fond memories of a time when both he and Prof Koornhof realised the importance of modern and reliable methods required for their research at the time, and which continue to be the cornerstone of activities of the NTBRL and National Institute for Communicable Diseases at present.