Early, Easy, Inexpensive Diagnosis An Urgent Need for Global TB Control

With two million deaths and twelve million new active cases per year and two billion people (one third of the world´s population) harboring latent infection, tuberculosis (TB) is a global threat. A fundamental tenet for TB as with any infectious disease is early diagnosis and immediate treatment. For this, development of an early, easy and inexpensive diagnostic tool is a priority for resource-poor countries where the heart of the TB problem lies. Detecting antibodies to the mycobacterium tuberculosis specific antigens in the body fluids (serodiagnosis) of a TB patient population of a specific region may provide a quick lead and of immense diagnostic potential.