Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection from oral swabs with Xpert MTB/RIF ULTRA: a pilot study.

In a pilot study, we aimed to evaluate sensitivity of Mtb detection via oral swabs using Xpert MTB/RIF ULTRA. We enrolled 33 TB cases and 30 controls from Lima, Peru, and detected Mtb from oral swabs with a sensitivity of 45% (95% confidence interval (CI) 29-62%) and specificity of 100% (95% CI 89-100%) using liquid culture of sputum as reference test. Our current protocol will need optimization, but these results support future exploration of the use of oral swabs for Mtb detection.