Respiratory Infections News

The development of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay has been the most important breakthrough for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in decades.

Patients in the United States who self-administered once-weekly isoniazid and rifapentine to treat latent tuberculosis infection had a high rate of treatment completion, demonstrating noninferiority to direct observation, according to Phase 4 study data.

Health experts warned that progress to end tuberculosis has stalled and that greater political commitment is needed to address the burden of the world’s No. 1 infectious disease killer.

Only 41% of tuberculosis cases in rural China — an area with a significant burden caused by the disease — are correctly managed in village clinics, township health centers or county hospitals, according to research published in PLoS Medicine.

Marital status, substance use and extent of medical history are among the factors that could determine which patients are most likely to finish latent tuberculosis infection treatment, according to research recently published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

Recent evidence confirms that the standard treatment regimens currently recommended by WHO and the CDC for latent tuberculosis infection are safe and effective for preventing active infection, according to a review published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Certain cytokines are predictors of the recurrence of tuberculosis in patients with HIV who are on ART, according to researchers.

CDC researchers reported at the 2017 American Thoracic Society International Conference that directly observed therapy for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis was associated with a 77% reduction in all-cause mortality risk over a 20-year period compared with self-administered therapy in the United States.

Later-generation fluoroquinolones significantly reduced the risk for mortality in patients with suspected drug-resistant tuberculosis compared with early-generation drugs of the same family, according to researchers.

Early and intensified medication improved survival in patients with isoniazid-resistant tuberculosis meningitis, according to researchers.