A positive TB skin test or TB blood test only tells that a person has been infected with TB bacteria. It does not tell whether the person has latent TB infection (LTBI) or has progressed to TB disease. Other tests are needed to see whether the person has TB disease. The table below is a summary of different diagnostic tests conducting at community level:
Diagnostic Test | Platform | Test Purpose | Product |
---|---|---|---|
Lateral Flow Mycobacterial Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) tests for TB (TB-LAM) | The Alere Determine™ TB LAM Ag test | The Alere Determine™ TB LAM Ag test is available at the point-of-care, to screen for active TB in HIV positive patients, and provides results in minutes. | Click here |
Rapid Molecular Diagnostic Test | Truelab™ Real Time Quantitative micro PCR Analyzers (Truelab UnoDx, Truelab DuoDx and Truelab QuattroDx micro-PCR machines) | Chip based Quantitative detection and diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) | Click here |
MTB Nuclear Acid Amplification Technologies | GeneXpert, Abbott Realtime System | The MTB Nucleic acid amplification technology is a new test that is revolutionizing tuberculosis (TB) control by contributing to the rapid diagnosis of TB disease and drug resistance. | Click here |
Interferon-Gamma Release Assays | N/A | The Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) is a blood test used to see whether a person has been infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( the bacteria causing TB). | Click here |
Rapid Diagnostic Test | N/A | Rapid diagnostic tests for tuberculosis (TB) are needed to facilitate early treatment of TB and prevention of Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission. | Click here |
Mantoux Tuberculin Skin Test | N/A | Tuberculin skin tests (TST) are administered to detect the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB). | Click here |