A highly sensitive diagnostic test for pulmonary TB and pleural TB has been developed by a multi-institutional team led by Professor from the Department of Biotechnology at AIIMS. The diagnostic tests make use of a DNA aptamer (a small single-stranded DNA molecule that binds to a specific target molecule) that shows high binding affinity to a TB antigen. Sputum samples were used for diagnosing pulmonary TB while pleural fluid was used for diagnosing pleural TB. The sensitivity and specificity have been tested on a small number of TB samples.
The sensitivity of the diagnostic test for pulmonary TB and pleural TB was 94% and 93% respectively. And specificity was 100% for pulmonary TB and 98% for pleural TB. The results were published in the journals ACS Infectious Diseases and Analytical Biochemistry. The laboratory-based aptamer test for diagnosing pulmonary TB takes about five hours to…
