Abstract: Objective  To compare the costs of line probe assay (LPA) and conventional drug susceptibility testing (DST) for detecting the drug resistance of Mycobacteria tuberculosis  in prefectural TB hospitals.  Methods  The full costs related to LPA and conventional DST including management, building, equipment, reagent, consumables and staff were collected from the Fourth People’s Hospital of Inner Mongolia, the Fourth People’s Hospital of Lianyungang City, Kaifeng Lung Hospital and the Second People’s Hospital of Yongchuan District. The average costs of LPA and DST were analyzed by t test, and the level of significance was set to P<0.05.  Results  The average costs for testing one case by LPA and DST were 201.0 Yuan and 365.8 Yuan respectively. The difference was significant (t=32.28, P<0.01). The unit costs for identifying one MDR-TB case by LPA and DST were 2794.4 Yuan and 4689.7 Yuan respectively. Compared to conventional DST, 1895.3 Yuan could be saved by LPA for detecting one MDR-TB case, and the testing cost was significantly reduced.  Conclusion  The cost of LPA for detecting drug resistant TB patient was lower than that of DST. It can be applied in prefectural TB laboratory.

Key words: Tuberculosis/economics, Molecular diagnostic techniques, Microbial sensitivity tests, Costs and cost analysis