Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40721262›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of community-based TB screening algorithms using computer-aided detection (CAD) technology alone compared with CAD combined with point-of-care C reactive protein testing in Lesotho and South Africa: protocol for a paired screen-positive trial.

Aita Signorell, Alastair van Heerden, Irene Ayakaka, Bart Karl Jacobs, Marina Antillon, Fabrizio Tediosi, Anna Verjans, Curdin Brugger, Harsh Vivek Harkare, Niklaus Daniel Labhardt and 18 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05526885 (Tuberculosis Diagnostic Trial of CAD4TB Screening Alone Compared to CAD4TB Screening Combined With a CRP Triage Test, Both Followed by Confirmatory Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra in Communities of Lesotho and South Africa), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT05526885 nacompletednot on this map

Tuberculosis Diagnostic Trial of CAD4TB Screening Alone Compared to CAD4TB Screening Combined With a CRP Triage Test, Both Followed by Confirmatory Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra in Communities of Lesotho and South Africa

TypeinterventionalSponsorKlaus ReitherRan2022 to 2024Enrolled20,000ConditionsTuberculosisArmsCAD4TB, POC-CRP, Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
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

28 authors.

Aita SignorellSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland aita.signorell@swisstph.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3890-3910
Alastair van HeerdenCentre for Community Based Research, Human Sciences Research Council, Sweetwaters, South Africa.
Irene AyakakaSolidarMed, Butha Buthe, Lesotho.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1051-5684
Bart Karl JacobsInstitute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerpen, Belgium.
Marina AntillonSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.
Fabrizio TediosiSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8671-9400
Anna VerjansSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.
Curdin BruggerSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8586-4171
Harsh Vivek HarkareSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.
Niklaus Daniel LabhardtDivision of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Shannon BosmanCentre for Community Based Research, Human Sciences Research Council, Sweetwaters, South Africa.
Mashaete KameleSolidarMed, Butha Buthe, Lesotho.
Mamatlakeng KeitsengSolidarMed, Butha Buthe, Lesotho.
Thandanani MadonselaCentre for Community Based Research, Human Sciences Research Council, Sweetwaters, South Africa.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-8473-622X
Johanna KurscheidSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.
Josephine MuhairwePartnerships for Health, USAID, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Alfred Kipyegon KeterCenter for International Health, Education, and Biosecurity, Nairobi, Kenya.
Keelin MurphyRadboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6831-4020
Bram van GinnekenRadboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Tinne GilsInstitute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerpen, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5518-9600
Bulemba KatendeMcGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Rediet Fikru GebresenbetBioInvent International AB, Lund, Sweden.
Rahel Milena ErhardtSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.
Thomas ZollerDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Respiratory Medicine, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Fiona VanobberghenSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.
Tracy R GlassSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.
Lutgarde LynenInstitute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerpen, Belgium.
Klaus ReitherSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionTuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health challenge in many African communities, where underreporting and underdiagnosis are prevalent due to barriers in accessing care and inadequate diagnostic tools. This is particularly concerning in hard-to-reach areas with a high burden of TB/HIV co-infection, where missed or delayed diagnoses exacerbate disease transmission, increase mortality and lead to severe economic and health consequences. To address these challenges, it is crucial to evaluate innovative, cost-effective, community-based screening strategies that can improve early detection and linkage to care. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We conduct a prospective, community-based, diagnostic, pragmatic trial in communities of the Butha Buthe District in Lesotho and the Greater Edendale area of Msunduzi Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa to compare two strategies for population-based TB screening: computer-aided detection (CAD) technology alone ( ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol was approved by National Health Research Ethics Committee in Lesotho (NH-REC, ID52-2022), the Human Sciences Research Council Research Ethics Committee (HSRC REC, REC 2/23/09/20) and the Provincial Health Research Committee of the Department of Health of KwaZulu-Natal (KZ_202209_022) in South Africa and from the Swiss Ethics Committee Northwest and Central Switzerland (EKNZ, AO_2022-00044). This manuscript is based on protocol V.4.0, 19 January 2024. Trial findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and through communication offices of the consortium partners and the project's website (https://tbtriage.com/).

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05526885), South African National Clinical Trials Register (SANCTR; DOH-27-092022-8096).

Indexed as

AlgorithmsC-Reactive ProteinDiagnosis, Computer-AssistedMass ScreeningPoint-of-Care TestingTuberculosisTuberculosis, PulmonaryAdultCost-Benefit AnalysisFemaleHIV InfectionsHumansLesothoMalePoint-of-Care SystemsPragmatic Clinical Trials as TopicC-Reactive ProteinDiagnostic radiologyMass ScreeningMolecular diagnosticsTuberculosis

Identifiers

PMID40721262
PMCPMC12306269

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.