Characterization of mycobacterial isolates using bioline tb agmpt64 assay at central tuberculosis reference laboratory in dar es salaam, Tanzania.

Background: Mycobacterium other than tuberculosis (MOTT) can cause lung diseases with clinical and radiological features similar to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, (MTBC) leading to potential misdiagnosis in the absence of specific diagnostic tests. This study aimed to identify MOTT among Mycobacterial culture isolates using the Bioline TB AgMPT64 assay at the Central Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory in Dar es Salaam. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Central Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory. We analyzed Mycobacterial isolates to distinguish MOTT from MTBC using the Bioline TB AgMPT64 assay, which detects the secreted Mycobacterium Tuberculosis protein 64 antigen. Results: A total of 150 Mycobacterial isolates were characterized and of these, 92% were identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, while 8% were classified as Mycobacteria Other Than Tuberculosis. Among the MOTT isolates, 35% were found among People living with HIV. Furthermore, none of the MOTT isolates were detected by the GeneXpert/Ultra diagnostic assay. A significant association was found between HIV status and the occurrence of MOTT, with a p-value of 0.001. Conclusion: This study has shown that a significant proportion of MOTT isolates are misidentified as MOTT, which may impact the treatment outcome, and management of the patients infected with these strains.