Diagnostic Advances in Childhood Tuberculosis-Improving Specimen Collection and Yield of Microbiological Diagnosis for Intrathoracic Tuberculosis

doi:10.3390/pathogens11040389

Review

. 2022 Mar 23;11(4):389.

doi: 10.3390/pathogens11040389.

Diagnostic Advances in Childhood Tuberculosis-Improving Specimen Collection and Yield of Microbiological Diagnosis for Intrathoracic Tuberculosis

Eric Wobudeya¹, Maryline Bonnet², Elisabetta Ghimenton Walters^{3

4}, Pamela Nabeta⁵, Rinn Song⁶, Wilfred Murithi⁷, Walter Mchembere⁸, Bunnet Dim⁹, Jean-Voisin Taguebue¹⁰, Joanna Orne-Gliemann¹¹, Mark P Nicol^{12

13}, Olivier Marcy¹¹

Affiliations

¹ Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration (MU-JHU) Care Ltd., Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda.
² University of Montpellier, IRD, INSERM, TransVIH MI, 34090 Montpellier, France.
³ Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 8000, South Africa.
⁴ Great North Children's Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals Trust, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 4LP, UK.
⁵ FIND, Chemin des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland.
⁶ Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX 7LEe, UK.
⁷ Center for Respiratory Disease Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi 00100, Kenya.
⁸ Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu 40100, Kenya.
⁹ Epidemiology and Public Health Unit, Pasteur Institute in Cambodia, Phnom Penh 12201, Cambodia.
¹⁰ Mother and Child Center, Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaoundé P.O. Box 1936, Cameroon.
¹¹ University of Bordeaux, National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), Bordeaux Population Health Research Centre, Team GHiGS, 33000 Bordeaux, France.
¹² Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia.
¹³ Division of Medical Microbiology and Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa.

PMID: 35456064
PMCID: PMC9025862
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11040389

Review

Diagnostic Advances in Childhood Tuberculosis-Improving Specimen Collection and Yield of Microbiological Diagnosis for Intrathoracic Tuberculosis

Eric Wobudeya et al. Pathogens. 2022.

. 2022 Mar 23;11(4):389.

doi: 10.3390/pathogens11040389.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration (MU-JHU) Care Ltd., Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda.
² University of Montpellier, IRD, INSERM, TransVIH MI, 34090 Montpellier, France.
³ Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 8000, South Africa.
⁴ Great North Children's Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals Trust, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 4LP, UK.
⁵ FIND, Chemin des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland.
⁶ Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX 7LEe, UK.
⁷ Center for Respiratory Disease Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi 00100, Kenya.
⁸ Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu 40100, Kenya.
⁹ Epidemiology and Public Health Unit, Pasteur Institute in Cambodia, Phnom Penh 12201, Cambodia.
¹⁰ Mother and Child Center, Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaoundé P.O. Box 1936, Cameroon.
¹¹ University of Bordeaux, National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), Bordeaux Population Health Research Centre, Team GHiGS, 33000 Bordeaux, France.
¹² Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia.
¹³ Division of Medical Microbiology and Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa.

PMID: 35456064
PMCID: PMC9025862
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11040389

Abstract

There is no microbiological gold standard for childhood tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. The paucibacillary nature of the disease, challenges in sample collection in young children, and the limitations of currently available microbiological tests restrict microbiological confirmation of intrathoracic TB to the minority of children. Recent WHO guidelines recommend the use of novel rapid molecular assays as initial diagnostic tests for TB and endorse alternative sample collection methods for children. However, the uptake of these tools in high-endemic settings remains low. In this review, we appraise historic and new microbiological tests and sample collection techniques that can be used for the diagnosis of intrathoracic TB in children. We explore challenges and possible ways to improve diagnostic yield despite limitations, and identify research gaps to address in order to improve the microbiological diagnosis of intrathoracic TB in children.

Keywords: children; diagnosis; microbiological tests; sample collection methods; tuberculosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All co-authors reported no conflict of interest.

Cited by

A Comprehensive Review of the Diagnostics for Pediatric Tuberculosis Based on Assay Time, Ease of Operation, and Performance.
Basu S, Chakraborty S. Basu S, et al. Microorganisms. 2025 Jan 16;13(1):178. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13010178. Microorganisms. 2025. PMID: 39858947 Free PMC article. Review.
Disseminated Tuberculosis Mimicking as Crohn's Disease in a Paediatric Patient.
Feenstra E, Driesen Y, Moes N, Jouret N, Vanden Driessche K. Feenstra E, et al. Case Rep Infect Dis. 2023 Jun 29;2023:7312630. doi: 10.1155/2023/7312630. eCollection 2023. Case Rep Infect Dis. 2023. PMID: 37425428 Free PMC article.
Pediatric Tuberculosis: A Review of Evidence-Based Best Practices for Clinicians and Health Care Providers.
Moore BK, Graham SM, Nandakumar S, Doyle J, Maloney SA. Moore BK, et al. Pathogens. 2024 Jun 1;13(6):467. doi: 10.3390/pathogens13060467. Pathogens. 2024. PMID: 38921765 Free PMC article. Review.
Tuberculosis in Children and Adolescents: Progress and Perseverance.
Graham SM, Marais BJ, Amanullah F. Graham SM, et al. Pathogens. 2022 Mar 24;11(4):392. doi: 10.3390/pathogens11040392. Pathogens. 2022. PMID: 35456067 Free PMC article.
A critical perspective on paediatric pulmonary tuberculosis and diagnostic advancements.
Mochankana K, Masekela R. Mochankana K, et al. Afr J Thorac Crit Care Med. 2024 Dec 11;30(4):e2883. doi: 10.7196/AJTCCM.2024.v30i4.2883. eCollection 2024. Afr J Thorac Crit Care Med. 2024. PMID: 40041415 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

See all "Cited by" articles

References

1. World Health Organization . Global Tuberculosis Report 2021. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2021.
1. Dodd P.J., Yuen C.M., Sismanidis C., Seddon J.A., Jenkins H.E. The global burden of tuberculosis mortality in children: A mathematical modelling study. Lancet Glob. Health. 2017;5:e898–e906. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30289-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Zar H.J., Connell T.G., Nicol M. Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children: New advances. Expert Rev. Anti-Infect. Ther. 2010;8:277–288. doi: 10.1586/eri.10.9. - DOI - PubMed
1. Detjen A.K., DiNardo A.R., Leyden J., Steingart K.R., Menzies D., Schiller I., Dendukuri N., Mandalakas A.M. Xpert MTB/RIF assay for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Respir. Med. 2015;3:451–461. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(15)00095-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. World Health Organization . Implementing the Stop TB Strategy: A Handbook for National Tuberculosis Control Programmes. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2008. p. 198. - PubMed

Publication types

Actions

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

[1] World Health Organization . Global Tuberculosis Report 2021. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2021.

[2] World Health Organization . Global Tuberculosis Report 2021. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2021.

[3] Dodd P.J., Yuen C.M., Sismanidis C., Seddon J.A., Jenkins H.E. The global burden of tuberculosis mortality in children: A mathematical modelling study. Lancet Glob. Health. 2017;5:e898–e906. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30289-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[4] Dodd P.J., Yuen C.M., Sismanidis C., Seddon J.A., Jenkins H.E. The global burden of tuberculosis mortality in children: A mathematical modelling study. Lancet Glob. Health. 2017;5:e898–e906. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30289-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[5] Zar H.J., Connell T.G., Nicol M. Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children: New advances. Expert Rev. Anti-Infect. Ther. 2010;8:277–288. doi: 10.1586/eri.10.9. - DOI - PubMed

[6] Zar H.J., Connell T.G., Nicol M. Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children: New advances. Expert Rev. Anti-Infect. Ther. 2010;8:277–288. doi: 10.1586/eri.10.9. - DOI - PubMed

[7] Detjen A.K., DiNardo A.R., Leyden J., Steingart K.R., Menzies D., Schiller I., Dendukuri N., Mandalakas A.M. Xpert MTB/RIF assay for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Respir. Med. 2015;3:451–461. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(15)00095-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[8] Detjen A.K., DiNardo A.R., Leyden J., Steingart K.R., Menzies D., Schiller I., Dendukuri N., Mandalakas A.M. Xpert MTB/RIF assay for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Respir. Med. 2015;3:451–461. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(15)00095-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[9] World Health Organization . Implementing the Stop TB Strategy: A Handbook for National Tuberculosis Control Programmes. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2008. p. 198. - PubMed

[10] World Health Organization . Implementing the Stop TB Strategy: A Handbook for National Tuberculosis Control Programmes. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2008. p. 198. - PubMed

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Diagnostic Advances in Childhood Tuberculosis-Improving Specimen Collection and Yield of Microbiological Diagnosis for Intrathoracic Tuberculosis

Affiliations

Diagnostic Advances in Childhood Tuberculosis-Improving Specimen Collection and Yield of Microbiological Diagnosis for Intrathoracic Tuberculosis

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Similar articles

Cited by

References

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Similar articles

Cited by

References

Publication types

Related information

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources