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These findings were generated by the largest-ever study of "pooled" tuberculosis (TB) testing, carried out by Start4All, a partnership led by LSTM with the Stop TB Partnership and research partners in seven countries with a high TB burden.

The study found that pooled sputum testing, which examines samples from several people in a single molecular test cartridge, halves the number of cartridges needed to make successful diagnoses.

The research team's paper on the performance and costs of pooled testing for molecular detection of TB has been published in The Lancet Global Health.

The study's first author, Dr. Tushar Garg, said the findings "demonstrate that the technique could increase access to accurate, rapid and low-cost TB testing, enabling thousands more people to be diagnosed around the globe."

The findings directly informed World Health Organization guidelines on pooled testing issued earlier this year, which recommended the technique for adolescents and adults in resource-constrained settings.

Dr. Tom Wingfield, deputy director of LSTM's Centre for Tuberculosis Research and chief investigator on Start4All, said, "This is the evidence that took pooled testing from a promising idea to a WHO recommendation, and it comes from routine laboratories and clinics in the countries that need it most, not from a research setting.

"Pooling needs no new technology. It makes smarter use of the machines and cartridges laboratories already have, so that many more people can receive a rapid molecular test from the same budget.

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