Intended for healthcare professionals

Minerva

Whole genome sequencing for tuberculosis and other stories . . .

BMJ 2016; 352 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i179 (Published 21 January 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;352:i179

Smart weapons against tuberculosis

The fight against tuberculosis is getting smarter with whole genome sequencing (WGS). In a non-commercial trial (Lancet Respir Med doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(15)00466-X) WGS was 93% accurate at first attempt. Diagnosis took nine days—three weeks faster than conventional diagnostics for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. WGS can identify clusters and predict susceptibility to drugs, and it may be slightly cheaper than conventional tests. The investigators are upbeat: “Continued improvements to mycobacterial processing, bioinformatics, and analysis will improve the accuracy, speed, and scope of WGS based diagnosis.”

CVD risk attitudes

Healthcare professionals think that patients do not have enough knowledge about risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and self management and need more information. Patients think they do have knowledge of risk factors and try …

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