Rapid POC Tuberculosis Test Provides Results Within 15 Minutes

Current diagnostic tools often require advanced laboratory infrastructure, trained personnel, and long processing times, making them difficult to implement in rural or low-resource regions. In a new study, researchers evaluated a rapid test that delivers same-day results without specialized equipment, aiming to expand access to preventive treatment.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet (Solna, Stockholm, Sweden), working with collaborators in Vietnam, assessed TB-Feron, a point-of-care test that detects latent tuberculosis infection within 15 minutes. They compared it to the standard laboratory test, QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus, which requires multiple processing steps and one to two days for results. The study included 345 adults divided into three groups based on confirmed TB status, household exposure, or no known exposure. All participants were tested using both methods for direct comparison.

The findings, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, showed that TB-Feron had a high sensitivity of 88%, identifying most individuals expected to test positive. QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus showed a slightly higher sensitivity of 92%. Specificity for TB-Feron reached 70%, compared with 96% for the standard test, indicating a moderate ability to rule out infection in healthy individuals. Among household contacts, the two tests showed strong agreement, with 92% concordance in positive samples.

Researchers also assessed reproducibility to ensure the test’s reliability in real-world settings. Their findings from two laboratory groups showed no systematic differences, supporting consistent test performance across operators. The team noted that TB-Feron’s rapid, user-friendly format made it particularly practical for primary care and community-based screening where laboratory services are limited. They anticipate that this approach could improve early detection and broaden access to preventive therapy.

“This test can help more people with latent tuberculosis to be detected and receive preventive treatment, especially in rural areas in countries with limited resources,” said Lina Davies Forsman, last author of the study.

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Karolinska Institutet