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Scientists Develop A TB Test & Find A Genetic Vulnerability In Resistant Strains

A rapid diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB) has been approved for the first time by the World Health Organization (WHO). The assay can identify the tuberculosis-causing pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum samples within a few hours.

Tuberculosis is a primary cause of death by infectious disease worldwide. The disease is estimated to kill over one million people every year, and is a huge socio-economic burden, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

"High-quality diagnostic tests are the cornerstone of effective TB care and prevention," said Dr. Rogerio Gaspar, WHO Director for Regulation and Prequalification. "Prequalification paves the way for equitable access to cutting-edge technologies, empowering countries to address the dual burden of TB and drug-resistant TB."

 M. Tuberculosis can often be treated with a four-month drug regimen, unless the pathogenic bacterium is a drug-resistant strain. New antibiotics and treatments are needed for these tougher infections.

In Nature Communications, scientists have revealed a molecular susceptibility in drug-resistant TB by using a CRISPR-based screen. This technique, called CRISPR interference, can silence individual genes, and the researchers combined this approach with transcriptional and metabolic data to identify vulnerabilities in drug-resistant M. Tuberculosis.

"We were then able to identify drugs that target these weaknesses and can rapidly kill these drug-resistant strains. While our work specifically focuses on Mycobacterium tuberculosis (the leading global cause of infectious disease morbidity, overtaking COVID-19 in 2024) this technology can be applied to other drug-resistant pathogens," said senior study author Dr. Matthew McNeil, of Otago University.

Another team is also looking in a strange place for novel TB drugs. In an unrelated study reported in PLOS Biology, scientists found compounds produced in a peat bog that could kill M. Tuberculosis.

In peat bogs, fungi compete with microbes like M. Tuberculosis for resources. Five fungi were isolated from a bog, which could destroy M. Tuberculosis pathogens. Additional work identified the fungal compounds that were killing the bacteria.

While the scientists noted that these compounds aren't yet useful as drug candidates, they provide evidence that fungal compounds like those in this study can kill M. Tuberculosis, and may provide a starting point for researchers who are developing such drugs.

Sources: The World Health Organization, Nature Communications, University of Otago, PLOS Biology

World Health Organization Gives First Approval Of Tuberculosis Test

Geneva:

The World Health Organization announced Thursday it had given a first-ever green light to a test for tuberculosis -- a disease which killed 1.25 million people last year.

Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra, produced by US-based molecular diagnostics company Cepheid, "is the first test for TB diagnosis and antibiotic susceptibility testing that meets WHO's prequalification standards", the UN health agency said.

WHO prequalification aims to ensure that key health products meet global standards for quality, safety and efficacy.

The WHO already recommended the test, but prequalification means that UN agencies such as UNICEF, or others like the Gavi vaccine alliance, have a simpler pathway to procure and distribute a product in countries with limited resources.

"This first prequalification of a diagnostic test for tuberculosis marks a critical milestone in WHO's efforts to support countries in scaling up and accelerating access to high-quality TB assays that meet both WHO recommendations and its stringent quality, safety and performance standards," said Yukiko Nakatani, a WHO assistant director-general.

"It underscores the importance of such groundbreaking diagnostic tools in addressing one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases."

A preventable and curable disease, TB is caused by bacteria and most often affects the lungs. It is spread through the air when people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit.

In October, the WHO said a record 8.2 million new tuberculosis cases were diagnosed worldwide in 2023 -- the highest number since it began global TB monitoring in 1995.

And with 1.25 million related deaths, TB probably returned to being the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, following three years in which it was replaced by Covid-19, the WHO added.

The test detects the genetic material of the bacterium that causes TB in spit samples, and provides an accurate result within hours.

The WHO says the accurate and early detection of TB, especially drug-resistant strains, is a critical global health priority.

"High-quality diagnostic tests are the cornerstone of effective TB care and prevention," said Rogerio Gaspar, the WHO's regulation and prequalification director.

The disease disproportionately affects 30 high-burden countries.

Five countries -- India, Indonesia, China, Philippines and Pakistan -- account for more than half of the global TB burden, with more than a quarter of the cases found in India alone.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

WHO Approves First TB Diagnostic Test Meeting Prequalification Standards

The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra, a molecular test designed to detect tuberculosis (TB) and assess antibiotic resistance.

This marks the first diagnostic tool for TB to meet WHO's rigorous prequalification requirements.

The test identifies the genetic material of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum samples, delivering results within hours.

 It also detects mutations linked to rifampicin resistance, a key marker for multidrug-resistant TB.

The WHO conducted its assessment based on data submitted and reviewed by Singapore's Health Sciences Authority.

 This approval aims to improve access to reliable diagnostic tools, particularly for patients newly screened for pulmonary TB or those who have not undergone extensive treatment recently.

The introduction of this test is expected to enhance global efforts in diagnosing and managing one of the world's most deadly infectious diseases.

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