Researchers at the University of Heidelberg and the University of California, San Francisco have developed a new POCT diagnostic method for tuberculosis (TB) that does not require a stationary laboratory and provides a result in less than 35 minutes. Detection is done by a simple tongue swab and can also be carried out by untrained personnel. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already recommended the procedure worldwide.

The mobile test system consists of two compact devices: In one, the bacteria from the swab are dissolved, the second analyzes the sample by means of genetic material detection. The result is indicated by simple indicator lights – positive or negative.

In a large international study of 1,380 people from seven countries with a high TB burden (India, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia and the Philippines), the tongue swab achieved a sensitivity of 80 percent and a specificity of 99.5 percent. The values are comparable to the previous gold-standard diagnostics using sputum in the laboratory. The method is particularly advantageous for people who cannot dispense sputum, including children, the seriously ill and HIV-positive.

Every year, more than one million people worldwide die from tuberculosis (TB). In 2024 alone, there were more than ten million new cases. The bacterial infectious disease primarily attacks the lungs, but can also affect other organs. Symptoms include persistent cough, fever, and weight loss. Tuberculosis can be treated with antibiotics, but diagnostics are a challenge: existing tests are expensive, time-consuming and sometimes inaccurate. In resource-poor countries with high infection rates, access is also limited. There is often a lack of skilled personnel, the necessary laboratory equipment or a reliable power supply for laboratory equipment. Diagnostics usually do not take place at the point of care – i.e. where the patients present themselves. As a result, the result is available with a time lag, any necessary treatment cannot begin immediately and some patients are no longer reached at all. “Against this background, TB detection by tongue swab sets new standards in TB diagnostics,” says Professor Denkinger.

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine . It shows that the new point-of-care procedure significantly simplifies diagnostics and shortens the time to treatment. Worldwide, more than ten million people fall ill with tuberculosis every year, and more than one million die from it.

The researchers see the process as a decisive step forward in the global fight against TB. The pilot application in high-risk countries is currently being prepared.

Original Paper:

Pulmonary Tuberculosis Detection with MiniDock MTB Using Swab Samples | New England Journal of Medicine

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