Rapid quantitative PCR on tongue swabs for pulmonary tuberculosis in adults: a prospective multicentre study.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of infectious disease mortality globally, with significant underdiagnosis perpetuating transmission. Tongue swab analysis has emerged as a promising non-invasive method for pulmonary TB diagnosis. This study evaluates the diagnostic accuracy of the TB-EASY quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay using tongue swab specimens.