Diagnostic accuracy of the TrueNat™ MTB plus assay for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis in adults.

ABSTRACT: Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains a global threat, affecting 10.8 million people and causes 1.3 million deaths annually. Over 2.5 million cases go undiagnosed partly due to current diagnostic limitations. In particular, smear microscopy is less sensitive, culture is slow and prone to contamination, and the rapid Xpert® MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) needs advanced infrastructure. This study assessed the diagnostic accuracy of TrueNat™ MTB Plus assay (TrueNat), a portable, WHO-endorsed point-of-care tool, compared to Ultra, smear microscopy, and Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) culture. This cross-sectional study enrolled 260 consenting adult participants (≥18 years) with presumptive TB in northern Tanzania. Participants' sputum samples were tested for M. tuberculosis using smear

SUBMITTER: Mallya SP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12721543 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature