Researchers at Tulane University in the US have created an improved clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based tuberculosis (TB) test that can be administered using a simple tongue swab.
This approach could facilitate community-based screenings and improve TB detection rates.
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According to the university, the traditional method of testing for TB involves the collection of sputum, or mucus from the lower respiratory system or lungs, which can be challenging and is often not feasible in a significant number of symptomatic and asymptomatic cases.
In a recent publication in Nature Communications, the Tulane team outlined its efforts to refine a CRISPR-based assay that was developed earlier, enhancing its ability to identify TB in samples with low bacterial levels.
The clinical results indicated an improvement in TB detection using tongue swabs, with a success rate of 74%, against the 56% success rate with conventional tests.
Furthermore, the test is said to have demonstrated a high sensitivity in identifying TB in respiratory samples, paediatric stool samples and adult spinal fluid samples.
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By GlobalDataThis advancement is particularly significant for individuals who cannot produce sputum, such as young children, HIV patients and those with TB infections outside the lungs.
Assistant professor Zhen Huang, the lead author of the study, noted the transformative potential of a viable TB tongue swab test, especially for low-resource communities.
The latest method, dubbed ActCRISPR-TB, offers a rapid and streamlined diagnostic process that can deliver results in less than an hour.
The test’s “one pot” approach is said to simplify administration, requiring only a swabbed sample to be added to a tube pre-loaded with a test strip and reagent.
After a 45-minute incubation period, coloured bands on the strip indicate the presence of an infection, similar to a Covid-19 test.
Clinical testing has also demonstrated that this new method is faster and more accurate than traditional tests, even when analysing sputum nucleic acid.
The study is part of a broader effort by the Tulane team to move TB testing out of the laboratory setting and into the community.
Tulane Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics director and Biotechnology Innovation Weatherhead Presidential chair Tony Hu said: 鈥淢ore than ten million people worldwide fall ill with tuberculosis every year, but 40% of those cases are considered missing as people go undiagnosed.
鈥淭o find those missing cases, testing needs to be less invasive and more accessible to reach as many people as possible who may not otherwise be tested.鈥�
The research team, including professor Hu, has also developed portable rapid tests and utilised AI to identify drug resistance, ensuring patients receive the correct treatment more quickly.
