Table 1. Characteristics of the studies, number of participants, and pool size used in a systematic review of pooling sputum as an efficient method for Xpert MTB/RIF and Ultra testing for tuberculosis during the coronavirus disease pandemic*.
| Study | Country | Participants recruited from | No. samples | Culture | GX cartridge used | Pooling ratio | No. pools | GX-pos,† no. (%) | GX-neg,† no. (%) | RIF- pos, no. | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (11) | South Africa | Reference laboratory | 100 | Yes | MTB/RIF | 1:5 | 20 | 20 (20.6) | 80 (79.4) | 5 | Culture and SM pos |
|
|
|
|
85 |
|
|
1:5 |
17 |
17 (20) |
68 (32) |
3 |
Culture pos/SM neg |
| (12) |
Nigeria |
OPD |
729 |
No |
MTB/RIF |
1:4 |
185‡ |
115 (15.8) |
614 (84.2) |
4 |
Compared active and passive case finding |
| (13) | Vietnam | SS | 118 | No | MTB/RIF | 1:2 | 16 | 75 (63.6) | 43 (36.4) | NR | None |
| 1:4 | 16 | ||||||||||
| 1:6 | 16 | ||||||||||
| 1:8 | 16 | ||||||||||
| 1:10 | 16 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1:12 |
16 |
|
|
|
|
| (14) |
Vietnam |
Hospitals |
262 |
No |
MTB/RIF |
1:2 |
101§ |
99 (37.7) |
163 (62.3) |
NR |
Pools constructed 1 pos/1 neg |
| (15) | Cambodia | ACF | 584 | No | ULTRA | 1:4 | 125 | 91 (15.6) | 493 (84.4) | 3 | Used chest radiograph to screen |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1:3 |
28 |
|
|
|
|
| (10) | Brazil | Prisons, SS | 1,120 | Yes | ULTRA | 1:4 | 20 | 100 (8.9) | 1,020 (91.1) | NR | None |
| 1:8 | 20 | ||||||||||
| 1:12 | 20 | ||||||||||
| 1:16 | 40 |
*Xpert MTB/RIF and Ultra, Cepheid (https://www.cepheid.com). ACF, active case finding; GX, GeneXpert; hosp, hospitalized patients; neg, negative; NR, not reported; OPD, outpatient department; pos, positive; RIF, rifampin; SM, smear; SS, spiked samples.
†Single tests.
‡3 had failed results.
§2 had failed results.