Why was this study done?
TB, fever, cough
TUBERCULOSIS (TB)
Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis is made by laboratory sputum testing usually prompted by the presence of at least 1 symptom of TB (cough, fever or night sweats, loss of weight).The World Health Organization promotes screening of entire groups of people at high risk of TB irrespective of symptoms. In South Africa, high-risk groups include people living with HIV, those who report being a close contact of someone with TB, and those who have had a recent episode of TB.There is little data on the usefulness of diagnostic assays as screening tests. Our trial assessed if targeted sputum testing of people at high risk without TB symptoms helped to identify undiagnosed TB.