An example of a simile in science journalism,
"Urine is another sample type that could help reduce the TB diagnostic gap…. This lateral flow urine lipoarabinomannan (LAM) assay is a low-cost point-of-care diagnostic specifically designed to detect active TB in people with HIV. …LAM-based diagnostics are particularly suited for people with HIV because their kidneys tend to be less efficient at filtering the molecule out, meaning there is a higher concentration of LAM in the urine. …
'LAM is a large complex [sugar] molecule that is a component of the TB cell wall,' explains Grant Theron, a TB diagnostics expert at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. The lateral flow tests have polyclonal anti-LAM antibodies that capture LAM shed into urine by the body….
Urine tests are now being explored as a cheap and rapid tool for diagnosing TB in severely ill people without HIV too. A significant advantage of urine tests over those for sputum and tongue swabs is that they can diagnose extrapulmonary TB in addition to pulmonary TB. This is important because around 15% of people with active TB have the disease in organs other than the lungs. 'The urine test is like a full body biopsy,' says Theron."
Nina Notman (2024) Testing times for tuberculosis. Chemistry World, February 2024. pp.44-47
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