ArticlePloS one2022
Diagnostic performance of oral swabs for non-sputum based TB diagnosis in a TB/HIV endemic setting.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Oral swabs with a rapid molecular diagnostic test for pulmonary tuberculosis in adults and children: a systematic review.The Lancet. Global health · 2024Pooled it
- Accuracy of upper respiratory tract samples to diagnose Mycobacterium tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The Lancet. Microbe · 2023Pooled it
- Diagnostic accuracy of oral swab for detection of pulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Pulmonary Tuberculosis Detection with MiniDock MTB Using Swab Samples.The New England journal of medicine · 2026Trial
- Diagnostic Accuracy and Usability of the PluslifeDiagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Diagnostic accuracy and acceptability of self- and health worker-collected tongue swabs formedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Diagnostic Yield of Tongue Swab- Compared to Sputum-Based Molecular Testing for Tuberculosis in Four High-Burden Countries.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026Article
- Tongue swab-based Targeted Universal Tuberculosis Testing in people living with HIV in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Diagnostic accuracy of swab-based molecular tests for tuberculosis using near-point-of-care platforms: a multi-country evaluation.EBioMedicine · 2025Article
- Oral Rinse as an Alternative Diagnostic Specimen for Detection of Tuberculosis.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2025Article
- High-sensitivity detection ofJournal of clinical microbiology · 2025Article
- A DNA Methylation Signature From Buccal Swabs to Identify Tuberculosis Infection.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2025Article
- A DNA methylation signature identified in the buccal mucosa reflecting active tuberculosis is changing during tuberculosis treatment.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Non-sputum-based samples and biomarkers for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: the hope to improve childhood and HIV-associated tuberculosis diagnosis.European journal of medical research · 2024Review
- High-sensitivity detection ofmedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2024Article
- Pediatric Tuberculosis: A Review of Evidence-Based Best Practices for Clinicians and Health Care Providers.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Diagnostic accuracy of tongue swab testing on two automated tuberculosis diagnostic platforms, Cepheid Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and Molbio Truenat MTB Ultima.Journal of clinical microbiology · 2024Article
- Blazing the trail for innovative tuberculosis diagnostics.Infection · 2024Review
- Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from tongue swabs using sonication and sequence-specific hybridization capture.PloS one · 2024Article
- Tongue swab testing on two automated tuberculosis diagnostic platforms, Cepheid XpertmedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveWe evaluated diagnostic performance of oral swab analysis (OSA) for tuberculosis (TB) in a high HIV/TB burden setting in Kenya.
methodsIn this cross-sectional study, buccal swabs and sputum were collected from 100 participants with suspected TB in outpatient clinics in Kenya at enrollment and subsequent morning visits. Buccal swabs underwent IS6110-targeted qPCR analysis. Sputum was evaluated by Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) and culture. Diagnostic performance of OSA for TB diagnosis was evaluated relative to a combined reference of sputum Xpert and culture.
resultsAmong 100 participants, 54% were living with HIV (PLHIV). Twenty percent (20/100) of participants had confirmed TB (19/20 [95%] culture-positive, 17/20 [85%] Xpert-positive). Overall buccal swab sensitivity was 65.0% (95% CI 40.8-84.6%) vs. sputum Xpert/culture and 76.5% (95% CI 50.1-93.2%) vs. sputum Xpert alone. Specificity was 81.3% (95% CI 71.0-89.1%) and 81.9% (95% CI 72.0-89.5%) compared to sputum Xpert/culture and Xpert alone, respectively. Sensitivity among PLHIV (n = 54) with suspected TB was 83.3% (95% CI 35.9-99.6%) vs. sputum Xpert/culture and 100% (95% CI 47.8-100.0%) vs. sputum Xpert alone. Among participants with TB, mean OSA threshold quantitation cycle (Cq) value was lower (stronger signal) at subsequent morning compared to enrolment visit (33.4 SD ± 3.7 vs. 35.2 SD ± 2.9, p = 0.009).
conclusionsIn this pilot study, results confirm M. tuberculosis DNA is detectable in oral swabs including among PLHIV with fair diagnostic performance. Further work is needed to optimize OSA and evaluate its utility in diverse settings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.