Blood test marker could help early TB detection - Taipei study
Researchers have developed a new, highly sensitive blood test capable of detecting tuberculosis by measuring the protein ESAT-6. This diagnostic tool aims to identify TB in patients who cannot produce sputum, potentially allowing for earlier treatment and reduced transmission.
Why it matters
Improved diagnostic accuracy for TB could save millions of lives and help manage a significant global health emergency.
A simple TB blood test could accurately identify TB among patients with varying degrees of exposure to the disease, according to research presented at the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) annual meeting, which took place last week in California.
The journal Respiratory Therapy reports that if confirmed, the researchers say the results could help save millions of lives and curtail a global health emergency.
“Every week of delay in diagnosing TB matters – so that early identification may allow treatment to begin sooner and potentially reduce transmission,” said Dr Sheng-Wei Pan, a physician in the department of chest medicine at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan and the study’s lead author.
According to the WHO , a quarter of the global population is estimated to have been infected with the TB bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), and 5%-10% will go on to develop active disease.
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