{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T15:52:21Z","timestamp":1786117941404,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"American Society for Microbiology","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785801600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785801600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/non-commercial-tdm-license"}],"funder":[{"name":"Vircell","award":["FJDMYC-01"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FJDMYC-01"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.asm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Microbiol Spectr"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title\/>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Rapid and accurate differentiation between\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Mycobacterium tuberculosis<\/jats:italic>\n                      complex (MTBC) and clinically relevant nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is essential for appropriate patient management but remains challenging with conventional diagnostic methods. We evaluated the clinical performance of a commercial multiplex real-time PCR assay for the direct detection of MTBC,\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Mycobacterium avium<\/jats:italic>\n                      complex (MAC), and\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Mycobacterium abscessus<\/jats:italic>\n                      complex (MABSC) in respiratory specimens. In this prospective multicenter study, 845 respiratory samples from patients with suspected mycobacterial infection were collected across 15 microbiology laboratories in the Madrid region (Spain). PCR results were compared with mycobacterial culture as the reference standard and with acid-fast bacilli (AFB) staining. Overall, 301 samples (35.6%) were culture-positive for mycobacteria. The multiplex PCR detected mycobacteria in 245 specimens, identifying MTBC (\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">n<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 147), MAC (\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">n<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 77), and MABSC (\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">n<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 21). For MTBC, sensitivity and specificity were 90.3% and 98.5%, respectively, increasing to 96.3% sensitivity in AFB smear-positive specimens. Sensitivity for MAC was 61.0% overall and 76.9% in AFB-positive samples, while MABSC sensitivity was 72.0%; specificity exceeded 99% for all targets. Culture identified additional NTM species not included in the PCR panel, underscoring the continued importance of culture for comprehensive diagnosis. In conclusion, this multiplex real-time PCR assay provides rapid and highly specific detection of MTBC and major NTM complexes directly from respiratory samples, with high sensitivity in smear-positive specimens. Its use may facilitate earlier differentiation between tuberculosis and NTM disease, supporting timely and appropriate clinical management.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>IMPORTANCE<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      This prospective multicenter study evaluates a commercial multiplex real-time PCR assay for the direct detection of\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Mycobacterium tuberculosis<\/jats:italic>\n                      complex and important nontuberculous mycobacteria in respiratory samples. The inclusion of a large number of specimens (\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">n<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 845) collected across multiple hospitals reflects real-world diagnostic practice and strengthens the clinical relevance of the findings, which demonstrate high specificity and excellent sensitivity for tuberculosis, particularly in smear-positive specimens, supporting the value of rapid molecular diagnostics for timely patient management.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.00175-26","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,13]],"date-time":"2026-07-13T13:02:57Z","timestamp":1783947777000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Evaluation of clinical usefulness of a commercial multiplex PCR for diagnosing mycobacterial infections: a multicenter study"],"prefix":"10.1128","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Maria","family":"Cano-Fernandez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Microbiology, IIS-Fundacion Jim\u00e9nez Diaz","place":["Madrid, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Barrado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04tqrbk66","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hospital Universitario de Mostoles","place":["M\u00f3stoles, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-7127-9428","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Harold","family":"Bermudez-Marvalc","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01az6dv73","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitario Principe de Asturias","place":["Alcala de Henares, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Cabrera-Pineda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01e57nb43","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, H.U. Puerta de Hierro-Majadahonda","place":["Majadahonda, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Irene","family":"Diaz-De-La-Torre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04d0ybj29","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, Hospital Clinico San Carlos","place":["Madrid, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Diego","family":"Domingo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03cg5md32","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa","place":["Madrid, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sara","family":"Hernandez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05s3h8004","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Microbiology Laboratory, Hospital Severo Ochoa","place":["Leganes, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jesus","family":"Garcia-Martinez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04scbtr44","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Microbiology, Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada","place":["Fuenlabrada, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7989-4275","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Paula","family":"Lopez-Roa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00qyh5r35","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre","place":["Madrid, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cristina","family":"Loras-Gallego","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01ehe5s81","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, Hospital Universitario de Getafe","place":["Getafe, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria-Carmen","family":"Mu\u00f1oz-Egea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Microbiology, IIS-Fundacion Jim\u00e9nez Diaz","place":["Madrid, Spain"]},{"name":"CIBERINFEC-CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas","place":["Madrid, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2600-2771","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Maria-Jesus","family":"Ruiz-Serrano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/0111es613","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Mara\u00f1on","place":["Madrid, Spain"]},{"name":"CIBERES-CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias","place":["Madrid, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Simon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/050qbxj48","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Hospital Central de la Defensa Gomez Ulla","place":["Madrid, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"Tato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/050eq1942","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal","place":["Madrid, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlos","family":"Toro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01s1q0w69","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, Hospital Universitario La Paz","place":["Madrid, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jose F.","family":"Valverde-Canovas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01435q086","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Laboratory of Microbiology, Hospital Universitario Fundacion Alcorcon","place":["Alcorcon, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Vi\u00f1uela-Gonzalez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, UR Salud. 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Mycobacterium: general characteristics, laboratory detection, and staining procedures, p 558\u2013575. In Manual of clinical microbiology, 12th ed. 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