One section in our department is entirely dedicated to mycobacteria. In fact, the resurgence of tuberculosis and the emergence of new pathologies resulting from non-tuberculous mycobacteria associated with pathological and therapeutic immuno-depressed patients, make this kind of rapid, reliable diagnoses indispensable.
In terms of volume and expertise, our mycobacteria laboratory is the top private laboratory in France. For the diagnosis of tuberculosis, we use the most-sensitive, direct-PCR techniques available, whereby we can directly detect the presence of the mycobacteria tuberculous complex in less than 2 hours. We use molecular biology techniques for the identification of mycobacteria, identification via DNA-DNA hybridisation, as well as for the detection of mutations that modify the effectiveness of rifampicin and isoniazid. For cultures, antibiograms and CMIs, we use the latest, state-of-the-art techniques (cultures in liquid media with automatic, growth-detection, and antibiograms in a liquid media).
We can also perform the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus® test (a test used to evaluate the production of interferon-gamma or Interferon-Gamma Release Assay (IGRA)), for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis as recommended in 2011 by the Haut Conseil de la Santé publique.
