New testing method could make TB diagnosis easier

Tuberculosis can be tough to detect. Diagnosis usually requires coughing up a sputum sample from the lungs, which can be unpleasant, impractical, and even hazardous. But in a promising new study, a multinational team of researchers may have found another way to identify the bacterial disease. If additional studies confirm the cartridges can reliably use saliva, the novel process could simplify widespread tuberculosis screening, especially in clinics with limited resources. That could enhance efforts to find and treat people with TB and help control global spread of the deadly infection. Read more here.