Review maps shift from pathogen detection to multimodal platforms in tuberculosis diagnostics
The review evaluates the evolving landscape of tuberculosis diagnostics, tracing the transition from traditional microscopy and culture to nucleic acid amplification tests, point-of-care systems, and interferon-gamma release assays. It highlights emerging modalities such as CRISPR/Cas-based assays, host-response biomarkers, multi-omics, and artificial intelligence, noting their current performance metrics and implementation barriers. The authors conclude that future TB testing will increasingly depend on integrated, multimodal platforms that combine rapid molecular detection, drug-resistance profiling, and immunological assessment. This synthesis provides laboratory directors and molecular pathologists with a structured overview of assay selection, validation considerations, and the trajectory toward precision TB management.
The original study
Current laboratory diagnostics for tuberculosis: from conventional approaches to next-generation molecular and immunological technologies.
- Authors
- Kisa O
- Journal
- European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology
- Type
- Journal Article, Review
- PMID
- 42836916
Original abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global public health concern despite advances in diagnosis and treatment. Early and accurate diagnosis is essential for timely treatment initiation, interruption of transmission, and effective management of drug-resistant TB.Although microscopy and culture remain the cornerstones of TB diagnosis, their limited sensitivity and long turnaround times have driven the integration of molecular and immunological methods.This review summarizes current TB diagnostic approaches, including conventional methods, nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), line probe assay (LPA), next-generation sequencing (NGS), point-of-care systems, and interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs).Emerging technologies, including host-response biomarkers, multi-omics approaches, artificial intelligence-based imaging, nanotechnology-based systems, and CRISPR/Cas-based diagnostics, are also discussed, with emphasis on their diagnostic performance, clinical applications, and current limitations.Current evidence indicates a shift from pathogen detection alone toward integrated approaches incorporating rapid molecular diagnosis, drug-resistance detection, host-response profiling, and immunological assessment.Future TB diagnostics are likely to increasingly rely on multimodal platforms combining molecular tools, host-response biomarkers, multi-omics data, and artificial intelligence to support more precise and clinically actionable TB management.