A. Luabeya, A. Olson, D. van As, K. Hadley, R. C. Wood, S. Mabwe, C. Petersen, A. J. Yan, K. Weigel, P. Yager, M. Hatherill, G. Cangelosi
The WHO has recommended tongue swabs (TS) as alternative samples for microbiological diagnosis of tuberculosis. We evaluated the effects of oral hygiene and food/drink intake on TS performance in South Africa. Food/drink intake prior to sampling marginally decreased Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA signal strength, but neither behavior decreased diagnostic sensitivity.