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.