Use of breath as a diagnostic tool in Tuberculosis infection
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The utility of volatile organic compounds, in breath, as a diagnostic tool and management of patients with tuberculosis infection
IRAS ID
315167
Contact name
Faisal Kamal
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Berkshire Hospital
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
We plan to collect human breath and analyse whether there are markers in human breath that can be used to identify presence of tuberculosis infection and subsequent eradication with treatment. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be readily detected in exhaled breath and have the potential to be used as tissue-specific biomarkers of pathogen presence and/or host response during infection (1). Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death worldwide, with 10.4 million cases and 1.8 million deaths in 2015(2). Infected individuals are classified as either having latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), an asymptomatic clinical state that is not transmissible, or active TB disease, characterized by the presence of clinical symptoms arising from infection that can occur in multiple organs. Individuals with LTBI represent a reservoir for active TB cases. At the Royal Berkshire Hospital we treated last year approximately 55 patients with active TB infection (33 % pulmonary) and 88 patients with latent (non active TB infection). Breath research into TB is currently limited with other diagnostic methods utilised to diagnose and help guide management methods. Identifying a breath marker to tuberculosis infection would be transformative to Tuberculosis care.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/EE/0242
Date of REC Opinion
28 Nov 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion