Background: The genus mycobacterium comprises more than 160 species, some
of which are pathogenic to humans. A variety of diseases, including pulmonary disease, skin and soft tissue infections, lymphadenitis, and disseminated disease, are caused by mycobacteria. Accurate detection of species is of great importance in the correct treatment of diseases caused by mycobacteria. The most commonly used methods for the diagnosis of mycobacteria include clinical symptoms and testing samples, microscopic methods, serology, radiology, biochemical tests, culture, nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAATs) including PCR, gene amplification and sequencing, etc. Here, we review recent advances in molecular tests for the detection of tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases, considering their sensitivity and specificity.