The performance of antimycobacterial susceptibility testing for the first line drugs (isoniazid, streptomycine, rifampicin and ethambutol) with mycobacteria growth indicator tube (MGIT) and by bacteriophage amplified biological assay by FAST-plaque TB-MDR were compared to automated radiometric BACTEC 460 TB system. This study was carried on 84 sputum samples of positive Zhiel-Neelsen (ZN) smears. Sputum samples were subjected to culture and antimycobacterial susceptibility testing by BACTEC 460 TB. Samples were also tested by direct susceptibility tests for isoniazid (INH), ethambutol, rifampicin (RIF) and streptomycine by MGIT. Sensitive and resistant isolates for RIF were further studied by FAST-plaque TB-MDR for RIF resistance.

The commonest resistance pattern by BACTEC 460 TB was for INH (32%) followed by RIF (24%) either alone or in combination with other drugs. Multiple drugs resistance was 20%. The agreement between BACTEC 460 TB and direct MGIT for resistant strains was 100% for INH and ethambutol, 91.7% for rifampicin, 80% for streptomycine and was 90% for MDR. FAST-plaque TB-MDR detected correctly all RIF resistant strains and 97.2% of the sensitive strains. For majority of strains direct susceptibility tests were available within 6.34–6.404 days (95% confidence interval) with direct mycobacteria growth tube, while results for FAST-plaque TB-MDR appear within 10.5–11.5 days from the time that the sputum was received in the laboratory (95% confidence interval).

From this study, we could conclude that direct MGIT AST is the quickest method for screening antimycobacterial susceptibility pattern for the drugs commonly used (INH, RIF, etambutol, streptomycin) as results were available within 6.34–6.404 days. Also FAST-plaque TB-MDR method is accurate for detection of rifampicin resistance after primary culture which can be used as a surrogate marker for presence of MDR strains and the results were available within 10.5–11.5 days.