Aerosolization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: establishing its role in the transmission of tuberculosis

Each year tuberculosis (TB) causes illness in approximately 10 million and kills 1.5 million people around the world, making it the single most deadly infectious disease. It is estimated that one quarter of the world’s population is infected with TB.

Focusing on mycobacterial aerosolization as a crucial step in TB transmission, we have developed a simple, point-of-care electrostatic air-sampling device, called THOR, to estimate the transmission risk posed by TB cases. Despite its widespread use in manufacturing, electrostatic air sampling for TB has not been used.

Conventional air-sampling methods for TB are restricted to dedicated research settings due to the impractical equipment required.In this project proposal, we will build on previous results to optimize clinical sampling procedures and compare the device in combination with Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra with conventional air samplers in controlled clinical conditions.

Finally, we will describe the association between index case aerosol sampling and transmission through a household contact study.Research will be conducted in Mozambique, South Africa and Sweden to utilise state-of-the-art tools for controlled laboratory studies and clinical research expertise in high TB incidence settings.We hope results from this project will lead to changes in the way transmission risk is evaluated by clinicians through the concurrent diagnosis of TB disease in patients and risk of household transmission amongst their contacts.