Company Produces User-friendly TB Test Kit

BANGI, Aug 1 (Bernama) -- A Malaysian company Tuesday introduced a tuberculosis (TB) test kit which it claims to be the world's fastest and most accurate.
Malaysian Bio-Diagnostics Research Sdn Bhd (MBDr) chief executive officer Emeri Johari said the product, named ezTBpcr (Easy Tuberculosis Polymerase Chain Reaction), was designed to detect the presence of both strains of mycobacterium tuberculosis and atypical mycobacteria in three hours.
He said the conventional method took four to eight weeks to obtain results.
"It is simple to use because minimal technical skill is required to perform the test," he told a news conference during a preview of ezTBpcr.
He said ezTBpcr was a collaboration between the company and researchers of Universiti Sains Malaysia, and was being tested in Zimbabwe and Pakistan.