Innovative technologies come from extensive research and rigorous testing.
IFN-γ is an excellent rule-in test and, compared to ADA, has significantly better sensitivity and rule-out value in a TB-endemic setting.
Economic evaluation of microbiological and host biomarker-based tests for the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis in a high burden setting
Pleural tuberculosis (TB) remains difficult to diagnose. Tests measuring host biomarkers, such as adenosine deaminase (ADA) and unstimulated interferon-gamma, perform better than conventional microbiological tests for TB diagnosis using pleural […]
Same-Day Tools, Including Xpert Ultra and IRISA-TB, for Rapid Diagnosis of Pleural Tuberculosis: a Prospective Observational Study
The diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis (TB) is problematic. The comparative performance of newer same-day tools for pleural TB, including Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (ULTRA), has hitherto not been comprehensively studied. Adenosine […]
Comparison of same day diagnostic tools including Gene Xpert and unstimulated IFN-γ for the evaluation of pleural tuberculosis: A prospective cohort study
The accuracy of currently available same-day diagnostic tools (smear microscopy and conventional nucleic acid amplification tests) for pleural tuberculosis (TB) is sub-optimal. Newer technologies may offer improved detection. The usefulness […]
Diagnostic accuracy of quantitative PCR (Xpert MTB/RIF) for tuberculous pericarditis compared to adenosine deaminase and unstimulated interferon-γ in a high burden setting
Tuberculous pericarditis (TBP) is associated with high morbidity and mortality and is an important treatable cause of heart failure in developing countries. Tuberculous etiology of pericarditis is difficult to diagnose […]
Comparative utility of cytokine levels and quantitative RD-1-specific T cell responses for rapid immunodiagnosis of tuberculous meningitis
The rapid diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is problematic. We found in 150 patients with suspected TBM that, similar to RD-1-specific quantitative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) T-cell responses, unstimulated CSF gamma […]
Utility of quantitative T-cell responses versus unstimulated interferon-γ for the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis
We compared the diagnostic utility of unstimulated pleural IFN-γ levels with several pleural antigen-specific T-cell IGRAs (early secretory antigenic target-6 and culture filtrate protein-10 (T-SPOT.®TB, QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-tube), purified protein […]
Press Release
Project Overview Antrum Biotech, a healthcare innovations company dedicated to acquiring, developing and commercialising novel diagnostic platforms for infectious diseases, announces the launch of IRISATM-TB, an immuno-suspension assay for diagnosis […]
Rapid diagnosis of TB meningitis is imperative and a biomarker-based test is needed: We need to move beyond detecting the bacilli to combat TBM mortality!
Background CNS infections are a leading cause of HIV-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, but causes and outcomes are poorly defined. We aimed to determine mortality and predictors of mortality in […]
New rapid TB test developed
TB is the most common cause of death in South Africa Researchers at the University of Cape Town have developed a landmark new rapid test which diagnoses various forms of Tuberculosis (TB) within hours. […]
New TB meningitis test beats the rest
TB meningitis is a major cause of death in Southern Africa. Early diagnosis is the key to improving the health outcomes of this disease, but the current diagnostic tests are […]