Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is the leading infectious cause of death globally and an estimated 10.4 million incident cases of tuberculosis (TB) and 1.8 million deaths occurred in 2015 [1]. Central nervous system TB, including tuberculous meningitis and brain tuberculomas, is challenging to diagnose and carries a high risk of severe disability and death [2]. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of TB treatment offer the best chance of a good neurological outcome; however, an MTB culture of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the current reference standard for tuberculous meningitis, usually requires several weeks or longer for growth and is too slow for initial clinical decision-making. In addition, CSF microscopy using Ziehl–Neelsen staining has a very low sensitivity [2] and, as such, integration of clinical and laboratory findings, as well as neuroimaging results, is necessary in the majority of cases to make a probable or possible diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis in the absence of microbiological confirmation [2, 3]. Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra is a promising new technology to aid the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis http://ow.ly/pwCy30eORBm

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Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra：期待已久的结核性脑膜炎游戏规则改变者？

结核分枝杆菌 (MTB) 是全球主要的传染性死因，2015 年估计有 1040 万例结核病 (TB) 病例和 180 万例死亡 [1]。中枢神经系统结核病，包括结核性脑膜炎和脑结核，诊断具有挑战性，并且具有很高的严重残疾和死亡风险 [2]。早期诊断和及时开始结核病治疗提供了获得良好神经学结果的最佳机会；然而，脑脊液 (CSF) 的 MTB 培养是目前结核性脑膜炎的参考标准，通常需要数周或更长时间才能生长，而且对于初始临床决策来说太慢了。此外，使用 Ziehl-Neelsen 染色的 CSF 显微镜检查灵敏度非常低 [2]，因此，临床和实验室发现的整合，以及神经影像学检查结果，在大多数情况下，在没有微生物学确认的情况下对结核性脑膜炎进行可能或可能的诊断是必要的 [2, 3]。Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra 是一种很有前景的新技术，可帮助诊断结核性脑膜炎 http://ow.ly/pwCy30eORBm