Understand The Background Of CRISPR-based Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Diagnostic Test

CRISPR-based Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Diagnostic Test 

TB TEST

DISEASE INTRODUCTION:

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacteria that cause tuberculosis. TB germs are most commonly found in the lungs, although they can also be found in the kidney, spine, and brain. Not everyone who is infected with tuberculosis germs becomes ill. As a result, there are two TB-related conditions: latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and tuberculosis illness. TB disease can be lethal if not treated appropriately.

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

CRISPR-Based MTB Diagnostic Test:

Tuberculosis (TB) is the biggest infectious disease killer, killing more people than HIV and malaria combined. This is due in large part to the difficulties in diagnosing it. According to estimates, 40% of the cases were not diagnosed and reported. The World Health Organization endorsed the GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay in 2010. However, recent research found that the Xpert test had limited efficacy in identifying extra pulmonary tuberculosis and did not enhance worldwide detection rates. Alternative approaches for quick screening and diagnosis are urgently needed since a timely and accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis is required for effective therapy. Rapid and easy-to-use tuberculosis diagnostic technologies are desperately needed. The diagnostic capability of the CRISPR system in the detection of infections has recently been revealed.

TB TEST

Tulane University School of Medicine researchers have created novel tuberculosis (TB) blood test that tests for DNA fragments of the bacteria that causes the deadly disease, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

According to a new study published in the journal The Lancet Microbe, the test could give clinicians a new tool to both promptly identify TB and then measure whether antibiotic treatments are effective by tracking quantities of DNA from the infection flowing through the circulation.

Tuberculosis is now the world's second-deadliest infectious illness, trailing only COVID-19. According to the World Health Organization, 10 million individuals will get tuberculosis by 2020, with 1.5 million deaths

The majority of tuberculosis tests rely on screening sputum, thick mucus from the lungs. However, collecting sputum from individuals suspected of having tuberculosis, particularly children, can be problematic. TB can be difficult to identify in immune-compromised HIV patients and others whose illness has spread beyond the lungs to other parts of the body. 

DIAGNOSING TB THROUGH CRISP-BASED MTB

According to senior study author Tony Hu, Ph.D., Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Biotechnology Innovation at Tulane University, in these extra pulmonary situations, patients may have minimal bacteria in their sputum, resulting in false negatives utilising current testing methods.

"This assay could be a game-changer for tuberculosis detection," Hu said, adding that it "not only gives accurate diagnosis results but also has the ability to forecast disease progression and monitor treatment." "This will allow clinicians to intervene more quickly in therapy and lower the chance of death, especially for HIV-positive youngsters."

The research looked at a CRISPR-based technique for detecting cell-free DNA from live Mycobacterium TB bacilli. The screening target is delivered into the bloodstream and quickly removed, giving a real-time picture of an active infection.

In Eswatini, Africa, researchers evaluated preserved blood samples from 73 adults and children with presumptive tuberculosis and their asymptomatic household contacts.

Adult tuberculosis was detected with 96.4 percent sensitivity and 94.1 percent specificity, whereas pediatrics tuberculosis was detected with 83.3 percent sensitivity and 95.5 percent specificity. (Sensitivity refers to a test's ability to effectively diagnose a positive case, whereas specificity refers to a test's ability to accurately determine a negative case.)

In addition, researchers evaluated 153 blood samples from a Kenyan cohort of hospitalized children. These were HIV-positive patients who were at high risk for tuberculosis and had at least one of the disease's symptoms. The new test detected all 13 confirmed instances of tuberculosis as well as nearly 85% of unconfirmed cases, which were diagnosed based on clinical symptoms rather than existing gold standard testing procedures.

 The CRISPR-based test requires only a small amount of blood and can provide results in as little as two hours.

CRISPR-BASED TB TEST

"We're particularly happy that, within a month of treatment, the level of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell-free DNA in HIV-infected children began to fall, and most of the children's blood was cleaned of bacteria DNA fragments," Hu said. "This means that CRISPR-TB has the potential to monitor treatment and will enable clinicians to better treat TB infections all around the world."