Kansas is experiencing one of the largest tuberculosis outbreaks in U.S. history after 67 cases of active TB were confirmed as of Jan. 24.
Researcher Tony Hu, the Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Biotechnology Innovation at Tulane University School of Medicine, said the outbreak highlights the need for more vigorous public health surveillance for tuberculosis, an airborne bacterial infection which infects approximately a quarter of the global populations.
“The most effective strategy is to identify and treat infected individuals swiftly,” said Hu, who is also the director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics at Tulane University School of Medicine. “This underscores the importance of having a faster and more accessible assay to diagnose TB with better understanding TB transmission dynamics in varied settings.”
Currently, most TB diagnoses require testing samples of saliva. However, 30% of TB cases are extrapulmonary – that is, the bacteria are not present in saliva. Hu is in the process of developing a first-of-its-kind blood-based TB test which, this month, the FDA designated a “breakthrough device.”
The goal is to create a device that can quickly and precisely test large populations to provide the sort of preemptive screenings that can help prevent large outbreaks.
“While the current outbreak is contained, it serves as a reminder of the potential for similar situations elsewhere in the U.S., especially in areas with crowded living conditions and insufficient healthcare infrastructure,” Hu said.
Hu is available for interviews about both the current TB outbreak and the development of a new blood-based TB test. For media inquiries, please contact Andrew Yawn at ayawn@tulane.edu.
