Stabilization of Tuberculosis Reporter Enzyme Fluorescence (REFtb) Diagnostic Reagents for Use at the Point of Care.

Tuberculosis is one of the most frequent causes of death in humans worldwide. One of the primary reasons tuberculosis remains a public health threat is that diagnosis can take weeks to months, is often not very sensitive and cannot be accomplished in many remote environments. A rapid, sensitive and inexpensive point-of-care (POC) diagnostic would have a major impact on tuberculosis eradication efforts.