Respiratory Infections News

Researchers in South Africa found no temporal association between hospitalizations for children with culture-confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis and underlying pneumococcal infections, according to a recent study.

The White House said this week it will provide up to $4.3 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria during the period from 2017 to 2019.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is recommending screening for latent tuberculosis infection in populations at increased risk, according to a statement issued in JAMA.

Recent findings from a Spanish study showed that immigrant status, immune disorders and drug resistance were linked to pediatric extrapulmonary tuberculosis, with 40% of patients presenting with complications.

The annual percentage of tuberculosis cases attributable to Mycobacterium bovis has remained stable in the United States and primarily affected children, Hispanic or foreign-born citizens, and those who reside in states near the Mexican border, according to a recently published analysis.

BOSTON — Mel Spigelman, MD, president and CEO of TB Alliance, discusses the drug development pipeline for TB here at ASM Microbe 2016. He said that many of the new drugs and regimens developed over the past few years show promise against multidrug-resistant TB, but that novel treatments are still necessary.

Results from two phase 3 clinical trials recently demonstrated that a new tuberculosis skin test was safe, easy to use and comparable in accuracy to an interferon gamma release assay.

A same-day, streamlined strategy for the diagnosis of tuberculosis, requiring a single sputum sample, proved accurate and feasible in a setting where the disease is endemic, according to data presented at the American Thoracic Society 2016 International Conference.

A new skin test for latent M. tuberculosis, was safe and easy to use, and addresses the problem of false positive skin test results in patients who have received the BCG vaccine, according to data presented at the American Thoracic Society 2016 International Conference.

WHO has announced that it is now recommending a shorter and less expensive treatment regimen for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, as well as a novel rapid diagnostic test that detects second-line drug resistance, according to a press release.