A prospective study on enhanced recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from children’s stool using novel power ultrasound decontamination

Abstract Stool specimen is commonly used for mycobacterial culture to provide critical microbiological evidence for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) in pediatric patients, especially when obtaining sputum specimens is challenging. However, the utilization of stool specimens for mycobacterial culture con...

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Main Authors: Jun-ling Wang, Zhen-jin Zhang, Fang Wang, Ming-kai Chen, Peng Tian, Xin-feng Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-98037-5
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author Jun-ling Wang
Zhen-jin Zhang
Fang Wang
Ming-kai Chen
Peng Tian
Xin-feng Wang
author_facet Jun-ling Wang
Zhen-jin Zhang
Fang Wang
Ming-kai Chen
Peng Tian
Xin-feng Wang
author_sort Jun-ling Wang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Stool specimen is commonly used for mycobacterial culture to provide critical microbiological evidence for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) in pediatric patients, especially when obtaining sputum specimens is challenging. However, the utilization of stool specimens for mycobacterial culture continues to face significant challenges in clinical practice, mainly owing to the relatively low diagnostic sensitivity and the frequent contamination by intestinal flora during specimen processing. This study evaluated the effectiveness of power ultrasound (PU) method in improving the recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. TB) from stool specimens collected from children suspected of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). A total of 252 stool specimens were collected, and each specimen was subsequently divided into approximately three equal groups. One stool specimen was subjected to direct acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy, while the other two stool specimens were processed using different decontamination methods(NaOH-NALC method vs. PU method). Out of the 252 specimens, positive cultures were observed in 14 (5.56%) stool specimens treated with the NaOH-NALC method, including M. TB (n = 11, 4.37%) and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM; n = 3, 1.19%). Similarly, among the stool specimens subjected to the PU method, culture positivity was found in 36 (14.28%), comprising of M. TB (n = 24, 9.52%) and NTM (n = 12, 4.76%). The statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in the isolation rate of M. TB and NTM between the two methods (P<0.001). Furthermore, the contamination rate of stool treated with the PU method (14.28%) is significantly lower than that of the NALC-NaOH method (22.62%). In conclusion, our findings indicate that the PU method is a rapid and effective decontamination method for stool in children, improving the detection of active TB among pediatric populations when compared to the NALC-NaOH method.
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spelling doaj-art-62c239412d5a4ad0997164f645f23ca22025-08-20T03:18:53ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-011511810.1038/s41598-025-98037-5A prospective study on enhanced recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from children’s stool using novel power ultrasound decontaminationJun-ling Wang0Zhen-jin Zhang1Fang Wang2Ming-kai Chen3Peng Tian4Xin-feng Wang5Katharine Hsu International Research Center of Human Infectious Diseases, Shandong Public Health Clinical Center, Shandong UniversityKatharine Hsu International Research Center of Human Infectious Diseases, Shandong Public Health Clinical Center, Shandong UniversityDepartment of Community Health Services, Jinan Dermatosis Prevention and Control HospitalDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining Medical UniversityKatharine Hsu International Research Center of Human Infectious Diseases, Shandong Public Health Clinical Center, Shandong UniversityDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Shandong Public Health Clinical Center, Shandong UniversityAbstract Stool specimen is commonly used for mycobacterial culture to provide critical microbiological evidence for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) in pediatric patients, especially when obtaining sputum specimens is challenging. However, the utilization of stool specimens for mycobacterial culture continues to face significant challenges in clinical practice, mainly owing to the relatively low diagnostic sensitivity and the frequent contamination by intestinal flora during specimen processing. This study evaluated the effectiveness of power ultrasound (PU) method in improving the recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. TB) from stool specimens collected from children suspected of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). A total of 252 stool specimens were collected, and each specimen was subsequently divided into approximately three equal groups. One stool specimen was subjected to direct acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy, while the other two stool specimens were processed using different decontamination methods(NaOH-NALC method vs. PU method). Out of the 252 specimens, positive cultures were observed in 14 (5.56%) stool specimens treated with the NaOH-NALC method, including M. TB (n = 11, 4.37%) and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM; n = 3, 1.19%). Similarly, among the stool specimens subjected to the PU method, culture positivity was found in 36 (14.28%), comprising of M. TB (n = 24, 9.52%) and NTM (n = 12, 4.76%). The statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in the isolation rate of M. TB and NTM between the two methods (P<0.001). Furthermore, the contamination rate of stool treated with the PU method (14.28%) is significantly lower than that of the NALC-NaOH method (22.62%). In conclusion, our findings indicate that the PU method is a rapid and effective decontamination method for stool in children, improving the detection of active TB among pediatric populations when compared to the NALC-NaOH method.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-98037-5Mycobacterium tuberculosisMycobacterial cultureN-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NALC)-sodium hydroxide (NaOH)Power ultrasoundStoolChildren
spellingShingle Jun-ling Wang
Zhen-jin Zhang
Fang Wang
Ming-kai Chen
Peng Tian
Xin-feng Wang
A prospective study on enhanced recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from children’s stool using novel power ultrasound decontamination
Scientific Reports
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Mycobacterial culture
N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NALC)-sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
Power ultrasound
Stool
Children
title A prospective study on enhanced recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from children’s stool using novel power ultrasound decontamination
title_full A prospective study on enhanced recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from children’s stool using novel power ultrasound decontamination
title_fullStr A prospective study on enhanced recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from children’s stool using novel power ultrasound decontamination
title_full_unstemmed A prospective study on enhanced recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from children’s stool using novel power ultrasound decontamination
title_short A prospective study on enhanced recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from children’s stool using novel power ultrasound decontamination
title_sort prospective study on enhanced recovery of mycobacterium tuberculosis from children s stool using novel power ultrasound decontamination
topic Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Mycobacterial culture
N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NALC)-sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
Power ultrasound
Stool
Children
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-98037-5
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