While tuberculosis is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world, only two tests allow rapid and simultaneous diagnosis.
No, tuberculosis is not yet relayed to the rank of medieval diseases. This infectious disease remains in the top 10 of the most deadly pathologies in the world. In 2017, it was estimated that out of 10 million people affected, 3.6 million were not treated, in particular because they would not have been diagnosed.
Two effective screening tests
In the scientific journal Cochrane ReviewExperts Say Just Two Tests – Xpert MTB/RIF and Xpert Ultra – Enable Rapid, Simultaneous Diagnosis of TB, as well as the patient’s resistance to rifampicin, an antibiotic widely used in the treatment of this pathology. Both are on the list of tests approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). Another advantage: these tests would also be accessible to the lower levels of the public health system.
The sensitivity and specificity of the Xpert MTB/RIF test, for the detection of pulmonary tuberculosis, are respectively 85% and 98% and for the detection of resistance to rifampicin, 96% and 98%. In comparison, in the detection of pulmonary tuberculosis, the Xpert Ultra test had a better level of sensitivity at 88% and a lower level of specificity at 96%. Regarding the detection of rifampicin resistance, the Xpert Ultra test showed similar sensitivity and specificity to that of the Xpert MTB/RIF test.
Still 1.6 million people worldwide die of tuberculosis
“Future studies should assess the diagnostic accuracy of the Xpert Ultra test in comparison to other rapid tests for tuberculosis and drug resistance, especially in difficult-to-diagnose groups such as children, people with HIV and patients with extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. Understanding the impact of Xpert Ultra on patient health is important,” said Davide Horne, lead author of the study and Associate Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Tuberculosis is relatively easily cured when diagnosed and treated early. But in 2017, around 1.6 million people died from it, including 300,000 with HIV.
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