South Africa team develops handheld tool to boost TB detection

Researchers in South Africa have developed a handheld device that could transform tuberculosis (TB) detection, offering faster results without the need for sputum samples or laboratory processing.

TB remains one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases, killing more than 1.2 million people globally in 2024,with early diagnosis being key to treatment and limiting transmission.

Current testing methods require patients to produce sputum samples that are sent to laboratories, a process that can take days or even weeks.

"What that typically entails is a patient coughing up a lung mucus or a sputum sample. And then that has to go, be transported to a lab, and then that gets decontaminated in a biosafety-level lab, and then that would typically either go for culture or into a nucleic acid-based assay, and that can take anywhere from a few days to six weeks to give a result." said Carl Baumeister, Head of Operations at MARTI TB Diagnostics, a University of Pretoria venture dedicated to revolutionizing global TB diagnostics.

Researchers at the University of Pretoria have developed an alternative using a drop of blood and a real-time immunoassay device that can deliver results in about 30 minutes during a single visit.

Researchers at the University of Pretoria have developed an alternative, MARTI (mycolate antibody real-time immunoassay), a handheld device that uses just one drop of blood and can deliver results in about 30 minutes during a single visit.

"You don't have to cough up this infectious sample because you're literally putting bacterial particles into the air when a patient has to cough up. So you put the other patients at risk, you put the healthcare workers at risk. In the blood sample, we look for an antibody. It's really interesting because the antibody indicates that your immune system is busy fighting an active infection,” Baumeister said.

Experts say the tool could help address undiagnosed cases in high-burden settings.

"Twenty percent of people die undiagnosed of TB, while they were still living. And that is what needs to be curtailed," said Professor Jan Verschoor, Chief Scientific Advisor at MARTI TB Diagnostics and Emeritus Professor at the University of Pretoria. He added that the device could support targeted screening in high-risk areas such as prisons and mines.

Beyond the health crisis, TB carries a heavy economic toll — costing billions in lost productivity and household income — underscoring the urgency of containing the disease.