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Vaezipour N, Fritschi N, Brasier N, Bélard S, Domínguez J, Tebruegge M, Portevin D, Ritz N. Towards Accurate Point-of-Care Tests for Tuberculosis in Children. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11030327. [PMID: 35335651 PMCID: PMC8949489 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11030327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In childhood tuberculosis (TB), with an estimated 69% of missed cases in children under 5 years of age, the case detection gap is larger than in other age groups, mainly due to its paucibacillary nature and children’s difficulties in delivering sputum specimens. Accurate and accessible point-of-care tests (POCTs) are needed to detect TB disease in children and, in turn, reduce TB-related morbidity and mortality in this vulnerable population. In recent years, several POCTs for TB have been developed. These include new tools to improve the detection of TB in respiratory and gastric samples, such as molecular detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and portable polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based GeneXpert. In addition, the urine-based detection of lipoarabinomannan (LAM), as well as imaging modalities through point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS), are currently the POCTs in use. Further to this, artificial intelligence-based interpretation of ultrasound imaging and radiography is now integrated into computer-aided detection products. In the future, portable radiography may become more widely available, and robotics-supported ultrasound imaging is currently being trialed. Finally, novel blood-based tests evaluating the immune response using “omic-“techniques are underway. This approach, including transcriptomics, metabolomic, proteomics, lipidomics and genomics, is still distant from being translated into POCT formats, but the digital development may rapidly enhance innovation in this field. Despite these significant advances, TB-POCT development and implementation remains challenged by the lack of standard ways to access non-sputum-based samples, the need to differentiate TB infection from disease and to gain acceptance for novel testing strategies specific to the conditions and settings of use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Vaezipour
- Mycobacterial and Migrant Health Research Group, University Children’s Hospital Basel, Department for Clinical Research, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; (N.V.); (N.F.)
- Infectious Disease and Vaccinology Unit, University Children’s Hospital Basel, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nora Fritschi
- Mycobacterial and Migrant Health Research Group, University Children’s Hospital Basel, Department for Clinical Research, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; (N.V.); (N.F.)
| | - Noé Brasier
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute for Translational Medicine, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland;
- Department of Digitalization & ICT, University Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Bélard
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany;
- Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - José Domínguez
- Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol. CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08916 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Marc Tebruegge
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WCN1 1EH, UK;
- Department of Pediatrics, The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Damien Portevin
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland;
- University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Ritz
- Mycobacterial and Migrant Health Research Group, University Children’s Hospital Basel, Department for Clinical Research, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; (N.V.); (N.F.)
- Department of Pediatrics, The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics and Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Children’s Hospital, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, 6000 Lucerne, Switzerland
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +41-61-704-1212
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