NEW BLOOD TEST TO ACCURATELY DIAGNOSE TB
A new blood test has
been developed to provide a fast and accurate tool to diagnose tuberculosis in
children.
About one
million children develop tuberculosis (TB) globally each year but detecting it
has been a challenge as the symptoms are often similar to those of common
illnesses including pneumonia and malnutrition.
The newly
developed test (TAM-TB assay) is the first reliable immuno-diagnostic assay to
detect active tuberculosis in children, researchers said.
“This
rapid and reliable test has the great potential to significantly improve the
diagnosis of active tuberculosis in children,” said Klaus Reither from the
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) in Switzerland who
coordinated the study.
The new
TAM-TB assay is a sputum-independent blood test.
Using standard
intracellular cytokine staining procedures and polychromatic flow cytometry,
the test result is available within 24 hours after blood sampling.
The new
test was assessed in tuberculosis endemic regions in Tanzania at the Ifakara
Health Institute and the NIMR Mbeya Medical Research Center.
The study
appeared in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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