New TB Test Means Quicker And Easier Diagnosis For Patients, Imperial College London and University of Oxford Study

ScienceDaily (Mar. 11, 2008) — A new blood test could enable doctors to rule out tuberculosis (TB) infection within days rather than weeks, according to a new study. The study, by researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Oxford, shows that doctors can determine that a patient does not have tuberculosis with 99% accuracy when using the new blood test, ELISpot-Plus, in conjunction with a skin test known as tuberculin skin testing, already in use.