Feasibility and utility of a combined nasogastric-tube-and-string-test device for bacteriologic confirmation of pulmonary tuberculosis in young children

Nisreen Khambati*, Rinn Song, Jonathan P. Smith, Else Margreet Bijker, Kimberly McCarthy, Eleanor S. Click, Walter Mchembere, Albert Okumu, Susan Musau, Elisha Okeyo, Carlos M. Perez-Velez, Kevin Cain

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

For microbiological confirmation of pediatric pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), gastric aspirates (GA) are often operationally unfeasible without hospitalization, and the encapsulated orogastric string test is not easily swallowed in young children. The Combined-NasoGastric-Tube-and-String-Test (CNGTST) enables dual collection of GA and string specimens. In a prospective cohort study in Kenya, we examined its feasibility in children under five with presumptive PTB and compared the bacteriological yield of string to GA. Paired GA and string samples were successfully collected in 95.6 % (281/294) of children. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated from 7.0 % (38/541) of GA and 4.3 % (23/541) of string samples, diagnosing 8.2 % (23/281) of children using GA and 5.3 % (15/281) using string. The CNGTST was feasible in nearly all children. Yield from string was two-thirds that of GA despite a half-hour median dwelling time. In settings where the feasibility of hospitalisation for GA is uncertain, the string component can be used to confirm PTB.
Original languageEnglish
Article number116302
JournalDiagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease
Volume109
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2024

Keywords

  • Diagnosis
  • Gastric aspirate
  • Microbiological confirmation
  • Pediatric tuberculosis
  • String

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