Trying To Develop A New Test For Tuberculosis

ell known that tuberculosis is a problem caused byagree that many research teams have tried to
mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is a bacterium thatdevise such a test but also sustain that they have
affects in the first phase, the lungs. This medicalfailed in making it effective.
problem might be active or inactive. For bothSome studies say that in UK more than 7000 new
situations the skin test might help for revealing.cases of tuberculosis are reported every year. The
It is also known that a test called Mantoux is availablecurrent method for diagnosing tuberculosis is said to
and it is the most used test in all United States. Thisbe a close exam, under a microscope, of sputum
test is considered accurate. Even so the tuberculosisfrom the lungs.
skin test called Mantoux can not always be precise.During many researches the scientists found a
More than that this test is not capable to revealmolecular signature for tuberculosis. After using a
weather the infection is active or not.mass spectrometer and statistical methods to
Other countries use BCG, bacillus Calmette Guerin,uncover complex patterns known as biomarkers
vaccine. BCG can cause a positive skin test if it haswithin samples from people infected with tuberculosis
been recently administrated.the molecular signature was found.
Talking about these tests, the specialists agree thatThis discovery was used by specialists to help finding
no tuberculosis skin test is always going to detecta way for simpler diagnosing for tuberculosis
the bacteria, so the specialists have devised a bloodinfections.
test for tuberculosis and they hope this will helpThe doctors’ conclusions are not yet told but
patients in the developing world.following them step by step they say that the new
The specialists that developed this tuberculosis bloodmethod will help easing the methods for diagnosing
test believe that in 94 % of the cases this test willtuberculosis. They agree that this new test is needed
be accurate and this serum test will offer moredesperately in all the hospitals and they get excited
guarantees then the common skin tests.when they think it is a possible thing.
A recent study agrees that this tests works becauseThe final step in developing the new ways of
it looks for biomarkers which are indicators ofdiagnosing tuberculosis is the usage of the identified
infection and could out perform alternatives.biomarkers.
Other opinions are also available. Tuberculosis experts