The results, published in the Open Forum Infectious Diseases (OFID), showed that the DNA of the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis can be detected in particles contained in human exhalation using the TB Hotspot detectOR (THOR) device.
The method revealed traces of the pathogen in 47 percent of patients with a positive sputum test, and in 57 percent with a high bacterial load. According to the authors, this opens up the possibility of identifying infectious patients directly in the clinic, especially when the patient cannot donate sputum.
Scientists note that tuberculosis bacillus DNA was also found in 30 percent of air samples taken in medical offices, despite cleaning. This confirms the sensitivity of the method, but also indicates how easily the infection can be transmitted in confined spaces.
