Fig. 4: ActCRISPR-TB diagnosis of pulmonary TB with tongue swabs. | Nature Communications

Fig. 4: ActCRISPR-TB diagnosis of pulmonary TB with tongue swabs.

From: Sensitive pathogen DNA detection by a multi-guide RNA Cas12a assay favoring trans- versus cis-cleavage

Fig. 4

a Study design and workflow for tongue swab collection and preservation. Created in BioRender. Huang, Z. (2025) https://BioRender.com/14wqty8. b ActCRISPR-TB and Xpert Ultra diagnostic performance with tongue swabs collected from this cohort. Image created with BioRender.com. ActCRISPR-TB signal and positivity for tongue swabs stratified by sputum c Mtb-culture, d smear grade, and e Xpert grade results. ActCRISPR-TB signal and positivity for swab specimens collected with f different swab types and g at distinct intervals, or after variable length storage at different temperatures. Bar graphs depict median and interquartile ranges, with black dashed lines indicating the positive signal threshold. Statistical significance was evaluated using two-sided Mann-Whitney tests (c–e, h), and two-sided Wilcoxon signed-rank test (f, g). Abbreviations: Med medium, Neg Negative, Sens sensitivity, Spec specificity, vLow very Low. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

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