Oral swab testing by Xpert® MTB/RIF Ultra for mass tuberculosis screening in prisons.

Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis is usually achieved by testing sputum for presence of by microscopy, culture or nucleic acid amplification tests. However, many individuals are unable to produce sputum, particularly early in the course of illness. Studies have reported that oral swabs, assayed by nucleic acid amplification tests, may be a suitable substitute or complement to sputum testing.