Current tests to detect tuberculosis in a patient are long and sometimes give false negatives. From American researchers developed a new blood test that could replace other methods (sputum analysis, blood culture, lung biopsy, lumbar puncture). The result is faster diagnosis and better treatment. The results are indeed available in just a few hours.
According to the inventors, the test can be carried out with the current means available in all hospitals. It consists of identifying two proteins in the blood (CFP-10 and ESAT-6). The bacteria responsible for tuberculosis release them in the body during the active phase of the disease. Proteins are then the marker of infection. The test is 92% reliable, whether it concerns patients without any other pathology or carriers of the AIDS virus. In this case, it might be all the more useful the more complex the current tests in HIV-positive people are.
Better screen
The device is not yet on the market and its cost is still unknown. But there is no vaccine and bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to anti-tuberculosis treatments. In a context where screening is insufficient, the test could help counter the infection which causes 10 million deaths each year.
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Tuberculosis: a global public health issue
Tuberculosis: a new rapid test for early diagnosis
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, a growing disease
