Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35511771›Full record

ArticlePloS one2022

Stool-based Xpert MTB/RIF assay for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children at a teaching and referral hospital in Southwest Ethiopia.

Mitiku Dubale, Mulualem Tadesse, Melkamu Berhane, Mekidim Mekonnen, Gemeda Abebe

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

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 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Stool Processing Methods for Xpert Ultra Testing in Childhood Tuberculosis: A Prospective, Multicountry Accuracy Study.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Mitiku DubaleMycobacteriology Research Center, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Mulualem TadesseMycobacteriology Research Center, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0003-4751-2225
Melkamu BerhaneDepartment of Pediatric and Child Health, Faculty Medical Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Mekidim MekonnenSchool of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Gemeda AbebeMycobacteriology Research Center, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Jimma University · ET

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDiagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in children is challenging mainly due to the difficulty of obtaining respiratory specimen and lack of sensitive diagnostic tests. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert here after) for the diagnosis of pulmonary TB (PTB) from stool specimen in children.

methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among consecutively recruited children (less than 15 years old) with presumptive PTB at Jimma Medical Center, Ethiopia. One pulmonary specimen (expectorated sputum or gastric aspirate) was collected from each participant and tested for TB by Xpert and Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) culture. In addition, one stool specimen per child was collected and tested by Xpert after a single step, centrifuge-free stool processing method adapted from KNCV TB Foundation. Diagnostic performance of Xpert was calculated with reference to LJ culture and to a composite reference standards (CRS) comprising of confirmed TB (positive by Xpert and/or culture) and unconfirmed TB (clinical diagnosis with improvement after anti-TB treatment).

resultsA total of 178 children were enrolled; 152 of whom had complete microbiological results. Overall, TB was diagnosed in 13.2% (20/152) of the children with presumptive TB. Of these, only ten had microbiologically confirmed TB (positive Xpert and/or culture) and the remaining ten were clinically diagnosed with positive response to anti-TB treatment and were classified as unconfirmed TB. Stool Xpert had sensitivity of 100% (95%CI: 66.4-100) and specificity of 99.3% (95%CI: 96.2-100) compared to culture; however, the sensitivity was decreased to 50% (95%CI: 27.2-72.8) when compared to CRS. The Xpert on gastric aspirate had sensitivity of 77.8% (95%CI: 40-97.2) compared to culture and 40% (95%CI: 19.1-64) compared to CRS.

conclusionsThe sensitivity of Xpert for stool sample is comparable to that for gastric aspirate. Stool sample is a potential alternative to pulmonary specimen in the diagnosis of pulmonary TB in children using Xpert.

Indexed as

Mycobacterium tuberculosisTuberculosisTuberculosis, PulmonaryAdolescentChildCross-Sectional StudiesEthiopiaHospitalsHumansReferral and ConsultationSensitivity and SpecificitySputum

Identifiers

PMID35511771
PMCPMC9070927
OpenAlexW4229046735

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.