A multicountry evaluation of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay for the diagnosis of intrathoracic tuberculosis in children using alternative specimens (nasopharyngeal aspirate and stool): A prospective cohort study conducted in Madagascar, Ivory Coast and Cameroon (TB KIDS project).

Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis in children remains challenging due to the paucibacillary nature of specimens and the difficulty in obtaining suitable samples. The use of alternative samples like nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) and stools, alongside Xpert MTB/RIF testing, offers promising improvements. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of the Xpert MTB/RIF test on NPA and stool samples for detecting intrathoracic TB in children from Madagascar, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast.