Capture and visualization of live Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli from tuberculosis patient bioaerosols.

Interrupting transmission is an attractive anti-tuberculosis (TB) strategy but it remains underexplored owing to our poor understanding of the events surrounding transfer of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) between hosts. Determining when live, infectious Mtb bacilli are released and by whom has proven especially challenging. Consequently, transmission chains are inferred only retrospectively, when new cases are diagnosed.

Cough-independent production of viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis in bioaerosol.

Background: Symptoms of infectious respiratory illnesses are often assumed to drive transmission. However, production and release of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) bioaerosols is poorly understood. We report quantitation of Mtb exhaled during specific respiratory manoeuvres.

Correction to: Bioaerosol sampling of patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis: a study protocol.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Bioaerosol sampling of patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis: a study protocol.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is transmitted in bioaerosols containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Despite being central to ongoing TB transmission, no routine diagnostic assay exists to measure Mtb in bioaerosols. Furthermore, published studies of Mtb in bioaerosol samples have been limited to individuals with sputum-positive pulmonary TB.

Detection of bacilli in bio-aerosols from untreated TB patients.

: Tuberculosis (TB) is predominantly an airborne disease. However, quantitative and qualitative analysis of bio-aerosols containing the aetiological agent, , has proven very challenging. Our objective is to sample bio-aerosols from newly diagnosed TB patients for detection and enumeration of bacilli.