The Xpert MTB/RIF assay is a fully automated molecular diagnostic test for TB disease developed in partnership among Cepheid, Inc., the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It can simultaneously detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) complex DNA and mutations associated with rifampicin (RIF) resistance (a reliable proxy for MDR-TB) directly from sputum specimens in less than 2 hours, and it minimizes staff manipulation and biosafety risk.4