Using sputum and tongue swab specimens for in-home point-of-care targeted universal testing for tuberculosis of household contacts: an acceptability and feasibility analysis.

ABSTRACT: Effective strategies are essential for early tuberculosis (TB) detection. Reliance on passive case detection, symptom screening and collection of sputum results in delayed or undiagnosed TB, contributing to on-going TB transmission. This study assessed the acceptability of in-home targeted universal TB testing (TUTT) using GeneXpert MTB/RIF Ultra at point-of-care (POC) during household contact investigations (HCIs) and the feasibility of using sputum and tongue swab specimens. The TB Home Study sought to evaluate the predictive value of different specimen types for use as a household-level triage test for TB. Household contacts of people with TB residing in the Buffalo City Metro Health District (Eastern Cape Province, South Africa) who received in-home POC TUTT through the TB Home Study w

SUBMITTER: Bezuidenhout C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12374641 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature