The BreathForDx consortium was pleased to contribute to the European Society of Mycobacteriology (ESM) 2026 Congress, held in Verona, Italy, with a poster presentation by Dr. Ilaria Iannucci from the IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute.
The poster, entitled “Validation of Facemask-Based Exhaled Breath Aerosol Molecular Testing for Tuberculosis and Respiratory Viruses”, presented ongoing work aimed at validating a molecular diagnostic workflow based on face mask-collected exhaled breath aerosols (XBA) for the simultaneous detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and respiratory viruses.
The study evaluates different sample processing and DNA/RNA extraction strategies to optimize the recovery of both bacterial and viral nucleic acids from a single breath sample. The results support the feasibility of a combined workflow, representing an important step towards a non-invasive diagnostic platform for respiratory infections.
This work brings together activities from the BreathForDx and B-Path Horizon Europe projects, highlighting the potential of breath-based sampling to improve tuberculosis screening while also strengthening preparedness for future respiratory disease outbreaks.
Congratulations to Dr. Ilaria Iannucci and all collaborators involved in this important contribution.
