Breakthrough Progress for the Deadliest Infectious Disease

A new blood test that could help identify millions of people who spread tuberculosis (TB) may soon be in the works.

“The new markers we discovered are truly exciting but the important work now is to develop these into tests that can be used for the millions of people who are transmitting TB without knowing it,” explains Dr Diana Garay-Baquero, co-director of the study.

Tuberculosis is considered to be the world’s deadliest infectious disease, killing more than one million people every year – in large part due to inadequate testing which leads to undiagnosed, infectious individuals. In a recent study, scientists found six important biological markers that differentiate infectious TB patients from healthy individuals. Now, they are looking to create a blood test that can detect these proteins in the bloodstream, potentially helping in the diagnosis of millions of people carrying the disease. This future TB test will likely resemble the rapid lateral flow test used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps proving once again the significance of stopping the spread.