Ferromagnetic and Immunomagnetic Concentration of Mycobacteria for the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis

A magnetic separation method for the concentration of tuberculosis bacteria and its application for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in clinical trials in Russia is described. Magnetic particles were developed which selectively bind to tuberculosis bacilli. The tuberculosis cells attached to the particles can be extracted by a centrifuge or a magnetic separator. The detection of the bacteria was then possible by either traditional microscopic and microbiological methods or molecular diagnostic techniques (PCR). The magnetic method was almost as sensitive in diagnosing tuberculosis as the much more time and work intensive cultivation method.