New Breath Test Detects Tuberculosis Without Sputum

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, together with colleagues from South Africa, have developed a new method to detect tuberculosis—not through sputum, but via the air exhaled by patients.

Their findings, published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases (OFID), demonstrated that DNA from Mycobacterium tuberculosis can be detected in particles in a person’s breath using the TB Hotspot detectOR (THOR) device.

The method identified traces of the bacteria in 47% of patients who tested positive via sputum, and in 57% of cases with a high bacterial load. According to the researchers, this opens the possibility of identifying contagious patients directly in clinics, especially when patients are unable to provide sputum samples.

The scientists also found TB DNA in 30% of air samples collected from medical offices, even after cleaning. This not only confirms the method’s sensitivity but also highlights how easily the infection can spread in enclosed spaces.