Does Clearview TB ELISA detect active 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 pulmonary TB may produce sufficient levels of LAM to be detected by the Clearview TB ELISA test. Co-infection with HIV and pulmonary TB promotes the spread of the TB from the lungs into the bloodstream due to the reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight the infection. Therefore, in those patients with pulmonary TB and HIV, levels of LAM are likely to be elevated when compared to those uninfected with HIV.