New Delhi, 4 April (IANS). Moving beyond the traditional sputum test, a new study on Friday showed that molecular stool test ie molecular stool testing may increase the chances of detecting tuberculosis (TB) among people suffering from HIV.
Research published in a magazine called The Lancet Microbi has shown that the molecular tests used on respiratory samples (called expert MTB/RIF Ultra) can be used on feces samples (which were recommended only to children only) can be used as an additional test for diagnosis of HIV.
The team of researchers led by Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISglobal), Spain said that the new study may represent an ideal change in the diagnosis of the disease in the population.
“People suffering from HIV have a higher risk of developing pulmonary TB, but diagnosis is particularly challenging in these cases due to low sensitivity of traditional tests,” says George William Kasule, “ISglobal and the first author of doctoral students at ISglobal and Barcelona University, George William Kasule.
The TB 2023, caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, was responsible for 1.25 million deaths. 13 percent of these were among people suffering from HIV.
Currently, the main diagnosis strategy for TB focuses on samples of sputum (sputum or saliva) – which are obtained by continuous cough and mucus in the lungs. For people suffering from HIV, molecular stool test is recommended in addition to urinary antigen detection (TB-LAM).
However, these diagnoses are not effective for all people suffering from HIV, as sputms are low in them, and more than half of people are unable to do so in advanced stages of the disease.
In addition, the deposition of bacteria in the spit is so low that it is not detected.
To deal with this, new research focuses on feces samples. The team recruited 677 patients over the age of 15 in HIV and suspected TB in medical centers in three African countries – Iswatin, Mozambique and Uganda between December 2021 and August 2024.
Participants provided sputum, urine, stool and blood samples.
The results showed that the sewage test had 23.7 percent sensitivity and 94.0 percent specificity as compared to the reference standard.
Researcher of ISglobal and Hospital Clinic D Barcelona in the infection unit in the Vaccine and the head of the immune response. Garcia-Bastero said that the results of our study will be helpful in diagnosing TB in people suffering from HIV. Especially those who suffer AIDS.
Stool Ultra Testing identified additional cases, which were not detected by TB-LAM, Ultra or bacterial culture in the spit. The most important thing is that it can confirm the disease in many cases where the results of respiratory testing are negative.
-IANS
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