A rapid automated test for tuberculosis -- already recommended by the World Health Organization for disease detection in adults -- proved more effective than smear microscopy for identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in children, a large prospective study found. Using two induced sputum samples from children whose median age was 19.4 months, the Xpert MTB/RIF test detected 75.9% (95% CI 64.5 to 87.2) of cases of tuberculosis, according to Mark P. Nicol, PhD, of the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and colleagues. In contrast, smear microscopy only detected 37.9% (95% CI 25.1 to 50.8), the researchers reported online in The Lancet.
