New Laboratory Diagnostic Tools for Tuberculosis Control
The Retooling Task Force (RTF) and the New Diagnostics Working Group (NDWG) recognize that there is a lack of easily-digestible information available to NTP staff for programmatic planning, or to funding and technical agencies that may wish to support the development, evaluation or implementation of new TB diagnostic tools. With this in mind the RTF, with the full collaboration of the NDWG and the Global Laboratory Initiative (GLI) and inputs from the New Vaccines and New Drugs Working Groups, has produced this brochure to act as an interim document until the blueprint can be developed and the pipeline based on this can be created.

This document describes 19 new or improved diagnostic tools of the many that have been or are being developed.Three of the tools described in this document have already been endorsed by WHO and are being implemented by countries, while the others are still under development or in piloting phase and are expected to be ready for review for appropriateness for scaled-up use in the coming years.

The purpose of this document is not to recommend specific tools, but rather to provide summary information about them so that all who play a part in TB control, especially in National TB Programmes, can understand the tools better and make well-informed decisions when retooling.

Checklist for key actions for the use of liquid culture and drug susceptibility testing (DST)
The Stop TB Partnership Task Force on Retooling has prepared the following checklist of key actions to facilitate global and country stakeholder planning for timely assessment, adoption, introduction, and implementation of the WHO recommendation, as appropriate. The guide illustrates actions that may be adapted to each country’s situation.

New Technologies for TB Control: A Framework for their Adoption, Introduction and Implementation

"This document and the hope it symbolizes is one that we stand behind to bring to improved methods of reducing the burden of TB and to ensure that no more of our brothers and sisters die of this curable disease."

Community/Patient representative and Community Treatment Activist

"This document provides a framework for ensuring that new tools, once available, can be expediently and efficiently adopted at both the global and country levels."

Irene Koek, Chair, Stop TB Partnership, Coordinating Board and Marcos Espinal, Executive Secretary, Stop TB Partnership Secretariat