Comparison of the Real-Time PCR Method and the Gen-Probe Amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosis Direct Test for Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Pulmonary and Nonpulmonary Specimens

Real-time PCR was compared to Amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosis Direct Test (AMTDII) for 100 clinical specimens. The overall sensitivities of the real-time PCR method and AMTDII were similar for respiratory and nonrespiratory specimens. However, real-time PCR seemed to be less susceptible to amplification inhibitors than AMTDII.