Qualitative Study Explores Perceptions of NGS-Based Tuberculosis Diagnoses

Investigators in Madagascar, Canada, Spain, and the US present findings from a qualitative analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis diagnostics centered on next-generation sequencing (NGS) in low- and high-income country settings. As they report in BMJ Open, the researchers turned to semi-structured interviews to assess perceptions of NGS-based tuberculosis (TB) diagnoses in nine stakeholders apiece from Madagascar and Canada, including six individuals working in clinical practice, six individuals tasked with disease surveillance and six individuals with laboratory or diagnostic expertise. Together, the team explained, the in-depth interviews revealed a handful of common themes, ranging from ethical, practical, or operational concerns to variable levels of understanding, experience, or comfort with available evidence levels. "There persists [an] important lack of familiarity with TB next-generation sequencing (TB NGS) applications among stakeholders in Canada and Madagascar," the authors write, noting that "[t]his translates into skepticism on the evidence underlying its use and its true potential value added within global public health systems."