Stool4TB

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children and people living with HIV (PLHIV). TB is caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is spread when people who are sick with TB expel bacteria into the air; for example, by coughing. The disease typically affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect other sites (extrapulmonary TB). About a quarter of the world’s population is infected with M. tuberculosis. Despite significant progress in TB diagnostics, improvement of childhood TB diagnosis continues to be a major challenge and is a highlighted research priority for EDCTP2. TB laboratory confirmation is particularly challenging in children and PLHIV given the difficulty in obtaining sputum samples and the paucibacillary nature of the disease.