**4. Conclusion**

Conventional methods for the diagnosis of tuberculosis, such as the smear and culture methods have some limitations, particularly the low specificity and sensitivity as well as the timeconsuming nature. Now these limitations have been overcome in some novel and rapid detection methods. Various gene amplification techniques have demonstrated their usefulness in the identification of mycobacteria and its various species. The rapid detection of *M. tuberculosis* by probes, PCR or other molecular techniques and some newest serologic assays offer good opportunities to improve the diagnosis and therapy of tuberculosis [2, 7-9, 12, 13].

However despite the availability of diagnostic tools for laboratory identification of tubercu‐ losis at high sensitivity and specificity, the "simple and economically" aspect of those new methods is still a matter of consideration. The question is whether they can be used in simple clinical settings and whether they are economically affordable for developing countries, in most of which tuberculosis is still rampant [11].
