PAHO | Bigg Rec

New Evidence Available

Updated Recommendation

A new evidence synthesis was published:2025, WHO consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis: module 3: diagnosis

View latest version (2025)

Bibliographic information

GuidelineWHO consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis: module 3: diagnosis: rapid diagnostics for tuberculosis detection, 3rd ed.

Year of Publication2024

Issuing InstitutionWorld Health Organization

See guideline details• Guideline fulltext

Recommendation

Retired

In inpatient settings, WHO strongly recommends using LF-LAM to assist in the diagnosis of active TB in HIV-positive adults, adolescents and children: with advanced HIV disease or who are seriously ill

Recommended in favor

Strong

Certainty of evidence

Moderate

Notes and Remarks

Remarks

1.The reviewed evidence and recommendations apply to the use of AlereLAM only, because other in-house LAM-based assays have not been adequately validated or used outside limited research settings. Any new or generic LAM-based assay should be subject to adequate validation in the settings of intended use.
2.All patients with signs and symptoms of pulmonary TB who are capable of producing sputum should submit at least one sputum specimen for Xpert MTB/RIF (Ultra) assay, as their initial diagnostic test. This also includes children and adolescents living with HIV who are able to provide a sputum sample.
3.These recommendations also apply to adolescents and children living with HIV, based on generalization of data from adults, while acknowledging that there are very limited data for these population groups.
4.LF-LAM should be used as an add-on to clinical judgement in combination with other tests; it should not be used as a replacement or triage test.