TB Tests
MHS has recently announced the launch of a TB POC Test images
The TB test can provide a positive /negative point of care reading from a small drop of blood or serum on a cassette.
The rapid TB test has been developed in response to the growing need for a fast and effective TB screening service.
HIV/TB Cross Infections
People living with HIV/AIDS are up to 50 times more likely to develop active TB. Roughly a third of the 33m people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide are infected with latent TB.
There are about 8,000 cases of TB are reported each year in the UK and this number is rising slowly
It is estimated that over (two billion people) are infected with the tuberculosis bacterium world wide.
Fewer than one in 10 of these infected people will go on to develop the full disease.
The vast majority of cases of TB occur in developing countries in Africa and South East Asia. .
What is TB
TB or tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The condition affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body such as the skin and other organs.
TB is usually contracted person to person by coughs and sneezes through the droplets carried in the air. The anti-bodies in the immune system usually destroy the germs once they are inhaled.
However on occasions when the immune system fails to destroy the bacteria, latent TB becomes active sometimes years later.
Symptoms of TB
Depending on how the body fights the infection TB infections can show:
- no symptoms at all
- minor symptoms, which then go as you fight the infection off
- symptoms that develop in the months following infection
- symptoms that develop years after you were infected
Other symptoms of tuberculosis infection may include:
- a persistent cough – there may also be lots of phlegm, sometimes containing blood
- fever
- tiredness
- loss of appetite
- weight loss
- night sweats
- chest pain when you breathe in, caused by inflammation of the membranes lining the
- lungs (pleurisy)
If TB has infected other parts of the body, other symptoms may arise including swollen glands in the neck, pain in your joints or a headache.
Diagnosis of Tuberculosis
The diagnoses of active TB infection are usually undertaken by at least three separate samples of phlegm for testing. These are examined in a laboratory followed by a chest X-ray that can also be used to diagnose active TB.
To diagnose latent TB patients undergo a skin test called a Mantoux test. This test involves injecting the tuberculin protein just under your skin, usually on the inside of your forearm. Over the next two to three days a reaction to the injection will develop. This reaction is then graded.
The greater the reaction the more likely it is that you have TB infection. If this is the case your doctor may ask you to have further tests.
If you are diagnosed with TB those people who have been in close contact with you, such as family members or work colleagues, may also be tested for the infection.
The Consolidated TB Action Plan to prevent and combat multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in the WHO European Region 2011–2015
The World Health Organisation is launching a Consolidated Action Plan to tackle drug resistant TB and other infectious diseases.
TB Screening Tests
MHS is making available a range of point of care tests, including its TB Test to enable the rapid screening of significant numbers of donors participating in the scheme.
The TB rapid tests can detect a range of markers through the TB Combo test
For further information contact our national help line:
Friendly expert advice: 01274 591792
Tags: TB POC tests, TB rapid tests, TB Tests