ArticleFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology2023
The performance of tongue swabs for detection of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Article in Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Review: missed tuberculosis cases in India: a systematic analysis of diagnostic, treatment, and reporting gaps.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- An optimal processing method for recovery of tuberculosis in the tongue swab using theMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- A one-pot biplex RPA-Cas assay for sensitive detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from tongue swabs.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Diagnostic Yield of Tongue Swab- Compared to Sputum-Based Molecular Testing for Tuberculosis in Four High-Burden Countries.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026Article
- Feasibility, challenges, and solutions for implementing targeted universal tuberculosis testing: perceptions of healthcare professionals in South Africa.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Oral Rinse as an Alternative Diagnostic Specimen for Detection of Tuberculosis.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2025Article
- Preferences for tongue swab-based versus sputum-based testing in the context of TB care: a best-worst scaling exercise in Vietnam and Zambia.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- WHO target product profile for TB detection at peripheral settings: 2024 update.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Addressing the challenge of tuberculosis screening in diabetic populations: a narrative review of methods and strategies.Frontiers in public health · 2025Review
- Collaborative learning in the digital age: empowering tuberculosis researchers through virtual training.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Introduction: Oral and/or tongue swabs have demonstrated ability to detect Methods: Herein, we compared the diagnostic performance of sputum and tongue swabs using Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) assays, Auramine smear, GeneXpert and DCTB assays supplemented with or without CF. Results: From 89 eligible participants, 83 (93%), 66 (74%) and 79 (89%) were sputum positive by MGIT, smear and GeneXpert, respectively. The corresponding tongue swabs displayed a lower sensitivity with 39 (44%), 2 (2.0%) and 18 (20%) participants respectively for the same tests. We aimed to improve the diagnostic yield by utilizing DCTB assays. Sputum samples were associated with a higher positivity rate for CF-augmented DCTB at 82/89 (92%) relative to tongue swabs at 36/89 (40%). Similarly, sputum samples had a higher positivity rate for DCTB populations that were CF-independent at 64/89 (72%) relative to tongue swabs at 26/89 (29%). DCTB positivity increased significantly, relative to MGIT culture, for tongue swabs taken from HIV-positive participants. We next tested whether the use of an alternative smear stain, DMN-Trehalose, would improve diagnostic yield but noted no substantial increase. Discussion: Collectively, our data show that while tongue swabs yield lower bacterial numbers for diagnostic testing, the use of growth supplementation may improve detection of TB particularly in HIV-positive people but this requires further interrogation in larger studies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.