A simple blood test could identify tuberculosis, potentially helping to save millions of lives and curtail a global emergency, according to a new study.
TB remains a leading cause of death worldwide, yet it is almost always curable with antibiotic treatment when detected early. It spreads through the air through coughing, sneezing and spitting.
According to the World Health Organisation, a quarter of the global population is estimated to have been infected with the TB bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), and 5-10 per cent will go on to develop the active disease.
The study was presented on Tuesday at ADLM 2026 – the annual meeting of the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine – in Anaheim, California.
“Every week of delay in diagnosing TB matters – so early identification may allow treatment to begin sooner and potentially reduce transmission,” said Dr Sheng-Wei Pan, a physician in the chest medicine department at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan and the study’s lead author.
A total of 1.23 million people died from TB in 2024, among 10.7 million who people fell ill with the disease worldwide, according to the WHO. It is the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious agent and among the top 10 causes of death.
It is present in all countries and age groups, although most people infected with TB bacteria do not feel sick and are not contagious. The WHO says global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 83 million lives since 2000.
Conditions such as diabetes, a weakened immune system and tobacco use increase the risk.
TB is typically diagnosed by assessing samples of patients’ sputum – mucus secretions coughed up from the lungs and airways. However this testing can be problematic, increasing the need for alternative tests.
“Not all patients can produce sputum when they first seek medical care, especially those with early disease or those with low bacterial burden,” Dr Pan said.
The researchers evaluated a blood marker produced by the bacteria ESAT-6. It has been studied before, but most sensors used to detect it have not been sensitive enough to distinguish between latent or active infection, exposure, or other lung diseases.
Dr Pan’s team used a highly sensitive new biosensor that overcame this limitation.
The researchers studied blood samples from 217 patients, including those with a range of infections or diseases, successfully differentiating between levels of infection.
Unlike biomarkers that measure the body’s immune response to infection, the ESAT-6 test is derived directly from the TB bacteria. “We believe this is one reason why it performs so well in identifying active TB,” Dr. Pan said.
Because patients’ disease status was known from the outset, the scientists say further research is needed to confirm that ESAT-6 can predict TB status in real time. “We are currently planning a prospective study to further evaluate if this can be used in a real-world clinical setting,” Dr Pan said.
The UAE, which has among the lowest rates of TB in the world, conducts rigorous health screenings for newcomers to the country to help prevent its spread. The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) supports global targets aligned with the WHO to eliminate TB as a public health threat.
