Diagnosis of Tuberculosis and Mycobacteriosis—Focus on Extrapulmonary Forms
A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Pathogens".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2025) | Viewed by 892
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Tuberculosis and other mycobacterioses continue to pose a global health burden, with extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) representing 15–20% of all TB cases.
EPTB presents unique diagnostic challenges due to its diverse clinical manifestations, nonspecific symptoms, and the limitations of conventional diagnostic methods.
Unlike pulmonary TB, diagnosing EPTB often requires invasive sampling, specialized imaging, and advanced microbiological or molecular techniques—factors that contribute to delays in diagnosis and treatment, especially in resource-limited settings.
This Special Issue will spotlight the evolving landscape of diagnostics for TB and mycobacterioses, with a particular emphasis on extrapulmonary forms.
We invite submissions exploring innovative strategies to overcome diagnostic barriers, including nucleic acid amplification tests (e.g., Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra), metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), and biomarker-based assays such as adenosine deaminase and interferon-gamma. Imaging tools such as PET-CT and MRI are increasingly vital for localizing occult infections, and artificial intelligence (AI) shows promise in enhancing image interpretation and diagnostic accuracy.
In addition to technical advances, we encourage contributions that address the clinical consequences of delayed diagnosis, such as increased morbidity and drug resistance, and the urgent need for accessible, point-of-care solutions.
This Special Issue welcomes original research, systematic reviews, case reports, and implementation studies focusing on molecular diagnostics, imaging innovations, biomarker discovery, AI applications, and practical challenges in diagnosis.
By bringing together recent advances and expert insights, this Special Issue encourages collaboration between clinicians, researchers, and public health professionals to improve diagnostics, patient care, and health outcomes.
Dr. Jacobus H. de Waard
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- molecular diagnostics
- imaging innovations
- biomarker discovery
- AI applications
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