Approximately one-third of the world s population is infected with tuberculosis (TB), and over 1 million deaths occur annually worldwide because of it (1,2). Accurate diagnosis and TB drug susceptibility testing is necessary to treat the infection appropriately and bring this epidemic under control. Inappropriate treatment of TB, on the other hand, has led to the recent spread in multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), estimated to affect over half of million people worldwide (2,4,5). Sputum smear microscopy, the diagnostic method commonly used in developing countries, is not as sensitive at detecting TB as culture-based techniques utilized in developed countries. Furthermore, drug-susceptibility testing is not routinely performed in resource-limited settings. Consequently, many individuals with TB in developing countries are treated with inadequate regimens, and MDR-TB continues to spread.