ArticlePublic health action2022
Prevalence and interpretation of Xpert
Article in Public health action, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay for pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance in adults and adolescents.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Diagnostic accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence and Predictors of Tuberculosis in Adults and Adolescents With Sputum Trace Ultra Results in 2 High-Burden Clinical Settings.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
- Cumulative TB disease burden following sputum Xpert Ultra 'Trace' results in clinical settings: Results from a multi-site observational clinical study.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Prevalence of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra Trace Call Results and Associated Risk Factors During Active Tuberculosis Case Finding in Viet Nam: A Programmatic Evaluation.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Evaluating the impact of decentralized testing for tuberculosis in Ghana: A simulation model.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Utility of Cerebrospinal Fluid Unstimulated Interferon-Gamma (IRISA-TB) as a Same-Day Test for Tuberculous Meningitis in a Tuberculosis-Endemic, Resource-Poor Setting.Open forum infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Evidence for Tuberculosis in Individuals With Xpert Ultra "Trace" Sputum During Screening of High-Burden Communities.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2024Article
- Usefulness of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra for rapid diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in Tunisia.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- More Than a Decade of GeneXpertDiagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- To treat or not to treat tuberculosis -clinical decision making in patients with previous pulmonary tuberculosis using 18F-FDG PET/CT.Respiratory medicine case reports · 2023Article
- Diagnostic Efficacy of New Xpert Ultra for Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis Using Culture and Composite Reference Standard.International journal of applied & basic medical researchArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe "trace call" results on Xpert® Ultra indicates extremely low TB levels and may be difficult to interpret. The prevalence of trace results among presumptive TB patients in high TB-HIV infection settings is unknown, as is the significance of divergent "trace call" result interpretations.
methodsPresumptive TB patients attending a public health facility in Lusaka, Zambia, were prospectively enrolled. Participants underwent several TB investigations, including sputum smear microscopy, Ultra testing, and culture. The diagnostic accuracy of Ultra (culture-based reference) and the number of patients recommended for TB treatment was assessed according to several different interpretation criteria for "trace call" results.
resultsAmong the 740 participants, 78 (10.5%) were Ultra-positive and an additional 37 (5.0%) had a "trace call" result. The prevalence of trace results did not differ according to HIV status (5.3% vs. 4.8%) or prior TB status (5.6% vs. 4.9%). Differing interpretations of trace results had modest effects on Ultra's sensitivity (range 79.3-82.6%) and specificity (range 94.3-99.2%), but increased the number of patients recommended for treatment by up to 44.9%.
conclusionsUltra trace results were common in this setting. The interpretation of trace results may substantially impact TB case yield.
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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.