Method for the detection of tuberculosis (TB) in children using modified FFP2 masks shows that children suffering from TB are unlikely to produce aerosols responsible for the transmission of this lung disease.

The diagnosis of tuberculosis in adults is usually made from sputum (sputum) in the microbiology laboratory. In children, however, the diagnosis is usually made clinically, as the disease often cannot be detected in them using standard laboratory tests. As a rule, they do not produce sputum.

FFP2 masks filter the exhaled air and have already been used successfully in adults to detect the genetic material of tuberculosis bacteria (M. tuberculosis-DNA). Until now, there has been no corresponding study for children. 

Although our method showed such a low detection limit, we were unable to detect the genetic material of the tuberculosis bacteria in clinical use in children. These results indicate that children with pulmonary tuberculosis probably do not form aerosols through which the bacteria are transmitted.