Your phone's mic could detect TB in seconds: new trial recruits 1,751
NCT ID NCT05317247
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a smartphone app can tell the difference between a TB cough and other coughs by analyzing audio recordings. Researchers will collect cough sounds from 1,751 people with a cough lasting at least two weeks, then use machine learning to build a quick screening tool. The goal is to speed up TB detection and reduce the need for expensive lab tests, especially in areas with limited resources.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 1,751 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2022
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Patients with a cough of at least two weeks duration self-reporting to primary care clinics in Cape Town and Kampala, in areas with a high prevalence of TB.
- Ages
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12 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * participant must be at least 12 years old * participant must have a prolonged cough (for at least two weeks) * participant must provide informed consent * participant shall have a known HIV status or be willing to undergo standard of care HIV testing and counseling Exclusion Criteria: * individuals who refuse informed consent * individuals who have received treatment for TB in the 60 days prior to enrolment * individuals who are unable to provide a sputum specimen for microbiological testing * individuals who have haemoptysis or a bloody cough with any forced coughs for audio recordings
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites in 2 countries. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Makerere University
RECRUITINGKampala, Kampala, 7062, Uganda
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Stellenbosch University
RECRUITINGCape Town, Western Cape, 7505, South Africa
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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