A new smartphone-sized device can test for tuberculosis: Why that matters for children

An estimated millions of cases of tuberculosis go undetected. Now there are hopes that a new, inexpensive rapid test could help more people get treatment.

Cheap “lab-in-a-tube” tuberculosis test could change remote healthcare

Researchers have created a “lab-in-a-tube” tuberculosis test, with all the ingredients necessary to detect the disease in under an hour. Costing just AUD$4.3 (US$2.70) per sample, the lab-in-a-tube tuberculosis (LIT-TB) test may fill the critical need for easy-to-administer tests in low- and middle-income countries. “There’s increasing recognition of the need for affordable, rapid diagnostic tests that can be used at the point of care, especiall…

A new smartphone-sized device can test for tuberculosis: Why that matters for children

Tulane University researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind handheld diagnostic device that can deliver rapid, accurate tuberculosis diagnoses in under an hour, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine.

Carolina, an African giant rat, became a key player in the fight against tuberculosis in Africa thanks to her incredible olfactory ability. During almost seven years of service in countries like Tanzania and Ethiopia, she was trained by the organization APOPO to quickly and accurately detect samples infected with tuberculosis, a disease that continues to affect millions of people in the world, especially in low-income contexts. Thanks to her wor…