Diagnostic Performance of the Pluslife MiniDock MTB and Molbio MTB Ultima Assays to Detect Tuberculosis From Tongue and Sputum Swabs Among Outpatients and in Active Case Finding in Cameroon

Summary

Head-to-head diagnostic accuracy evaluation of two low-cost near-point-of-care molecular TB assays (Pluslife MiniDock MTB and Molbio MTB Ultima) against Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra, using tongue and sputum swabs. 1,097 participants across 5 health facilities and active case-finding events in Cameroon. Sputum-swab sensitivity 79–91% (MiniDock) and 74–89% (MTB Ultima); specificity > 95%. MiniDock operated in the field at 35–40 °C ambient with solar power, < $200 instrument, < $4 test cost. Feeds into WHO's 9 March 2026 recommendations on near-POC TB tests and tongue swabs.