Does Clearview TB ELISA detect active extra pulmonary TB?
Clearview TB ELISA specifically detects LAM antigen derived from bacteria in the patient’s blood which have been metabolized by the kidneys and passed into the urine.6,4 As such, a patient with extrapulmonary TB may produce sufficient levels of LAM to be detected by the Clearview TB ELISA test. Co-infection with HIV and extrapulmonary TB promotes the spread of the TB bacteria to other locations within the body, and its entry into the bloodstream due to the reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight the infection.2 Therefore, in those patients with extrapulmonary TB and HIV, levels of LAM are likely to be elevated when compared to those uninfected with HIV.