TB TEST FEOM URINE SAMPLE

Subject: Science & tech

Context: IIT Madras researchers are developing a point-of-care platform for early-stage TB screening and detection using urine samples. The platform is yet to be tested in clinical trials.

Concept:

• Diagnosing TB usually involves using a sputum sample or a biopsy in the detection tests. This is not just time-consuming or expensive, there are also cases where getting a sputum sample is not easy or even possible, such as with small children or in the case of extra pulmonary TB.

Process:

• The glycolipid lipoarabinomannan (LAM), an integral component of the cell wall and cell membrane of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the disease-causing bacterium, has been explored as a biomarker for TB diagnosis.
• Since it is known that LAM is released into the blood stream during active infection and passed out in urine, it can be viewed as a potential biomarker for even cases other than pulmonary TB.