Guidelines and Recommendations Point of care testing Screening and monitoring Infectious Disease

Expanding Access to TB Testing

WHO recommends near point-of-care tests, tongue swabs, and pooling strategies

04/14/2026 News 2 min read

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Clinical Scorecard: Expanding Access to TB Testing

At a Glance

Category	Detail
Condition	Tuberculosis (TB)
Key Mechanisms	Near point-of-care molecular tests, tongue swab samples, sputum pooling strategies
Target Population	Underdiagnosed populations, patients unable to produce sputum
Care Setting	Peripheral labs, primary care settings, community environments

Key Highlights

Introduction of near point-of-care nucleic acid amplification tests (NPOC-NAATs)
Use of tongue swabs as an alternative sample type for TB testing
Sputum pooling strategy to improve efficiency in resource-limited settings
Decentralized testing models to reduce reliance on centralized laboratories
Updated operational guidance and implementation toolkits to support integration

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

Utilize NPOC-NAATs for initial TB detection
Consider tongue swabs for patients unable to produce sputum

Management

Implement sputum pooling to enhance testing efficiency

Monitoring & Follow-up

Adopt standardized diagnostic algorithms for new testing tools

Risks

Need for validation of alternative specimens and updated protocols

Patient & Prescribing Data

Individuals in resource-limited settings and those with difficulty providing sputum samples

NPOC-NAATs may be available at lower costs than existing molecular platforms

Clinical Best Practices

Integrate new diagnostic tools into national TB programs
Provide training materials for healthcare providers on new testing methods

Related Resources & Content

World Health Organization TB Diagnostic Guidelines