Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42712451›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in microbiology2026

Plasma kynurenine/tryptophan ratio as a sensitive blood-based diagnostic tool for tuberculosis: a diagnostic accuracy study among children living with HIV.

Clement G Adu-Gyamfi, Lillian Makhathini, Santiago C Longlax, Alexandra Portillo Varela, Karine Scheuermaier, Ntsiki Sikhondze, Kennedy Otwombe, Andrew Anthony Adjei, Neil Martinson, Alex Kay and 3 more

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Article in Frontiers in microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

13 authors.

Clement G Adu-GyamfiCentre for Vaccines and Immunology, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a Division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Lillian MakhathiniCentre for Vaccines and Immunology, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a Division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Santiago C LonglaxGlobal TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.
Alexandra Portillo VarelaGlobal TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.
Karine ScheuermaierBrain Function Research Group, Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Ntsiki SikhondzeBaylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.
Kennedy OtwombePerinatal Health Research Unit (PHRU), Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and TB, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of The Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Andrew Anthony AdjeiDepartment of Pathology, University of Ghana Medical School, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
Neil MartinsonPerinatal Health Research Unit (PHRU), Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and TB, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of The Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Alex KayGlobal TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.
Andrew R DiNardoGlobal TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.
Anna M MandalakasGlobal TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.
Melinda SuchardDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Funding

Integrated Networks of Scholars in Global Health Research Training (INSIGHT) Program D43TW012274 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · PI Olakunle Alonge, Jessica Griffin Burke · 2022 to 2026
$6.5M
Quantifiable stool-based TB PCR to Improve Diagnostics and Treatment MonitoringR01AI137527 · NIAID · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI MANDALAKAS, ANNA M · 2019 to 2022
$2.7M
FIC NIH HHS D43 TW012274NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI137527
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Pediatric tuberculosis (TB) is challenging to diagnose and confirm. The World Health Organization has prioritized development of non-sputum-based diagnostics. We investigated the role of plasma K/T ratio for TB diagnosis among children with and without HIV. Methodology: Plasma tryptophan and kynurenine concentrations measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to calculate K/T ratios in a nested case-control design with an optimization cohort (the Lung Cohort Study (LCS)) and a validation cohort (the NIH Stool4TB. The discovery cohort included children with incident TB ( Results: LCS participants with HIV-associated TB had higher plasma K/T ratio (median 0.511 [IQR 0.182-0.820]) than controls (median 0.053 [IQR 0.030-0.072]), Conclusion: Plasma K/T ratio is a sensitive non-sputum-based test for diagnosing TB in children and has promising application within pediatric TB diagnostic algorithms.

Indexed as

diagnostic accuracyIDOK/T ratiopediatric TBspecificitytarget product profile

Identifiers

PMID42712451
PMCPMC13550139

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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.