CIDRAP: No Sputum Needed: Easy-to-Use TB Test Shows Accuracy in 7-Country Analysis
30 April 2026
CIDRAP news story
Diagnosing TB relies primarily on two methods: one involves a process that is more than 140 years old (smear microscopy), and the other is a more recent technological advance (rapid molecular TB diagnostic tests). Both methods have limitations and are mainly performed on sputum. However, many patients — from babies to the elderly to people with HIV — are unable to produce sputum for testing.
A new easy-to-use TB test addressed the limitations of current TB diagnostics. The MiniDock MTB platform, developed by Pluslife Biotech, is a battery-operated near point-of-care nucleic acid amplification test (NPOC-NAAT). It works with sputum or tongue swabs and matches the accuracy of established tests. Results are available in about 30 minutes.
Read the full news story here.
Source: CIDRAP
SEE ALSO:
- University of California San Francisco: Portable TB Test Matches Lab Accuracy in Just Minutes
- Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg: A Single Swab Is Sufficient: Study Paves the Way for Simplified TB Diagnosis
- MedPage Today: Portable TB Diagnostic Tool Matched Traditional Tests’ Results /free registration is required/
- NPR: Long a Dream, It’s Now Real: A Fast and Accurate TB Test That Doesn’t Need Phlegm
