TUBERCULOSIS (TB) is one of the most contagious diseases that continues to challenge public health systems globally today.
The World Health Organization aims to end the TB crisis by 2035, but the disease trend is still worrisome.
Thailand, where the disease is very prevalent, has its Chulalongkorn University researchers developing an MTB Strip (Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Strip) that should be easy to use, reads clearly, yields fast and accurate results at a low cost.
"One of the mechanisms to help end TB is identifying patients as early as possible to control and limit its transmission," said Assoc Prof Dr Panan Ratthawongjirakul about the inception of the research project.
"If we can distribute this test to small hospitals, we will be able to identify TB patients within two hours and screen them quickly into the treatment system.
The MTB Strip TB Test Kit consists of two main parts.
The genetic material extracted from the sputum sample is amplified using a special primer for 20 to 40 mins at 37oC.
The developed test strip is dipped into the amplified genetic material with results appearing on the test strip as positive and negative results.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 04 May 23
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