Abstract: Early diagnosis and rapid initiation of treatment
remains a key strategy to control both HIV and tuberculosis
(TB). However, HIV and TB control programs have had completely
contrasting successes, especially with the development and
deployment of point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. Clinicians,
researchers, and public health staff who work at the frontlines
of HIV care and control have had access to an outstanding array
of POC diagnostics at their disposal, including those used for
screening, initial diagnosis, staging, treatment monitoring, and
early infant diagnosis. The field has also advanced to consider
over-the-counter, self-testing options for HIV and the use of
multiplexed platforms that allow for simultaneous detection of
infections associated with HIV. In sharp contrast to HIV,
suboptimal and delayed diagnosis of TB has perpetuated the
epidemic in many high-burden countries. Although the TB
diagnostics pipeline is substantially better today than it was
even five years ago, absence of a simple P