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Updated: Jan 20, 2026
Separation and Fractionation of Cell Wall and Cell Membrane Proteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis for Downstream Protein Analysis
Published on: September 26, 2025
Paediatric tuberculosis diagnosis using Mycobacterium tuberculosis real-time polymerase chain reaction assay:
Emmanuel O Babafemi1, Benny P Cherian2, Betty Ouma3
1Microbiology Department, Paediatrics Laboratory Medicine, Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK. emmanuel.babafemi@nhs.net.
Insights
Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) offers a promising diagnostic method for childhood tuberculosis (TB). This systematic review evaluates its accuracy in detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in children, aiming to improve early diagnosis and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Medical Diagnostics
- Microbiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Pediatric tuberculosis (PTB) diagnosis is challenging, leading to empirical treatment in high-burden countries.
- Accurate and early diagnosis of PTB is crucial to prevent morbidity and mortality.
- Current diagnostic methods for PTB often lack sufficient accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) detection in children.
- To assess the utility of real-time PCR as a clinical laboratory diagnostic methodology for PTB.
- To provide evidence to address the urgent need for improved PTB diagnostic tools.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search across multiple databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, etc.).
- Inclusion of randomized controlled trials and observational studies (cohort, cross-sectional) of children under 16 years.
- Independent study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment by two reviewers, with meta-analysis planned if data permits.
Main Results:
- This systematic review is the first to assess real-time PCR for MTB detection across all sample types in the pediatric population.
- The review will synthesize evidence on the accuracy, approach, and interpretation of real-time PCR results for PTB diagnosis.
- Findings will address the critical need for reliable diagnostic methods in pediatric TB.
Conclusions:
- Real-time PCR holds potential as an accurate diagnostic tool for pediatric tuberculosis.
- This review will inform clinical practice and guide the development of better diagnostic strategies for PTB.
- Improved diagnostic accuracy can lead to timely treatment and better patient outcomes.
Background:
Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis in children is a major challenge with up to 94% of children with TB treated empirically in TB high-burden countries. Paediatric tuberculosis (PTB) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, particularly in developing countries. Most deaths/morbidity from TB in paediatrics could be prevented with early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. The main objective of this systematic review is to examine the evidence whether real-time polymerase chain reaction assay could be the most accurate clinical laboratory diagnostic methodology for the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) detection in paediatrics.
Methods:
We will search MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, BIOSIS, LILACS, Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialised Register (CIDG SR), Global Health, and CINAHL for published studies that recruited children less than 16 years of age being investigated for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection using real-time polymerase chain reaction assay accompanied by mycobacteriological culture investigation as the reference standard. There will be no restriction regarding the language, date of publication, and publication status. We will include randomised controlled trials and observational studies (cohort, cross-sectional) in the review. Selection of studies, data extraction and management, assessment of risk of bias, and quality of evidence will be performed by two independent reviewers (EB and BC). A third researcher will be consulted in case of discrepancies. Depending on the availability and quality of the data, a meta-analysis will be performed. Otherwise, findings will be qualitatively reported.
Discussion:
To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis assessing the detection of MTB from all clinical sample types using real-time polymerase chain reaction assay in paediatric population. This review will make available evidence on the accuracy, approach, and interpretation of results of this assay in the context of MTB diagnosis which will meet an urgent need, considering the challenges of MTB diagnosis in paediatrics.
Systematic Review Registration:
PROSPERO CRD42018104052.
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