Sabiiti W, Azam K, Farmer ECW, et al. - Researchers conducted a comparative biomarker study via analyzing 1,768 serial sputum samples from 178 patients at 4 sites in Southeast Africa. Tuberculosis Molecular Bacterial Load Assay (TB-MBLA) was identified decreasing time-to-TB-bacillary-load-result from days/weeks by culture to hours and led to detection of early patient treatment response. By day 14 of treatment, bacillary load cleared to zero in 5% of patients, it rose to 58% by 12th week of treatment. Correlation was observed of fall in bacillary load with mycobacterial growth indicator tube culture time-to-positivity. Conversion-to-negative by 8th week of treatment was less frequent among patients with high pretreatment bacillary burdens (above the cohort bacillary load average of 5.5log10eCFU/ml) vs those with a low burden (below cohort bacillary load average); this was observed irrespective of treatment regimen. The bactericidal effect of regimens was differentiated with TB-MBLA; it indicated a shorter time to bacillary clearance with using the moxifloxacin—20 mg rifampicin regimen vs standard-of-care regimen. Data thereby suggest that the TB-MBLA could expedite drug TB clinical trials.