Interferon-Gamma Release Assays Differentiate between Mycobacterium avium Complex and Tuberculous Lymphadenitis in Children.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the performance of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) in the differential diagnosis between Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and tuberculosis (TB) in children affected with subacute/chronic submandibular/cervical lymphadenitis. STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter observational study comparing children with microbiologically confirmed MAC lymphadenitis from the European NontuberculouS MycoBacterial Lymphadenitis in childrEn study with children with TB lymphadenitis from the Spanish Network for the Study of Pediatric TB database. RESULTS: Overall, 78 patients with MAC and 34 with TB lymphadenitis were included. Among MAC cases, 44 out of 74 (59.5%) had positive tuberculin skin test (TST) results at the 5-mm cut-off, compared with 32 out of 33 (97%) TB cases (P < .001); at the 10-mm cut-off TST results were positive in 23 out of 74 (31.1%) vs 26 out of 31 (83.9%), respectively (P < .001). IGRA results were positive in only 1 out of 32 (3.1%) patients with MAC who had undergone IGRA testing, compared with 21 out of 23 (91.3%) TB cases (P < .001). Agreement between TST and IGRA results was poor in MAC (23.3%; κ = 0.017), but good in TB cases (95.6%; κ = 0.646). IGRAs had a specificity of 96.9% (95% CI 84.3%-99.8%), positive predictive value of 95.4% (95% CI 78.2%-99.8%), and negative predictive value of 93.9% (95% CI 80.4%-98.9%) for TB lymphadenitis. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to TST, IGRAs have high specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value for TB lymphadenitis in children with subacute/chronic lymphadenopathy, and consequently can help to discriminate between TB and MAC disease. Therefore, IGRAs are useful tools in the diagnostic work-up of children with lymphadenopathy, particularly when culture and polymerase chain reaction results are negative.

Response to direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C treatment in vertically HIV/HCV co-infected patients.

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for HCV treatment have improved tolerance and efficacy among adults, but experience in vertical transmission is scarce. In our vertically HIV/HCV co-infected youth cohort of 58 patients, DAA achieved excellent rates of cure among naïve and pretreated individuals. Treating vertically infected seems important as 29.6% displayed advanced fibrosis at treatment initiation.

Longitudinal evolution of vertically HIV/HCV-co-infected vs HCV-mono-infected children.

HIV co-infection has been suggested to play a deleterious role on the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis among vertically HCV-infected children. The aim of this study was to describe the longitudinal evolution of vertically acquired HIV/HCV co-infection in youths, in comparison with HCV infection alone. This was a retrospective, multicentre study including vertically HIV/HCV-co-infected patients and age- and sex-matched vertically HCV-mono-infected patients. Progression to advanced liver fibrosis, defined as F3 or more by elastography or METAVIR biopsy staging, and response to treatment were compared by means of univariate and multivariate regression analyses and Cox regression models. Sixty-seven co-infected patients were compared with 67 matched HCV-mono-infected patients. No progression to advanced liver disease was observed during the first decade. At a median age of 20.0 [19.0, 22.0] years, 26.7% co-infected vs 20% mono-infected had progressed to advanced fibrosis (P = .617). Peg-IFN/RBV for HCV treatment was given to 37.9% vs 86.6% (P-value < .001). At treatment initiation, co-infected patients were older (16.9 ± 4.1 vs 11.7 ± 4.5 years, P < .001), and 47.1% vs 7.1% showed advanced fibrosis (P < .003), with no differences in hard-to-treat genotype distribution. Sustained viral response was comparable between groups (43.5% vs 44.0%, P = .122). In vertically HIV/HCV-co-infected patients, the progression to liver fibrosis was rare during childhood. At the end of adolescence, over 25% of patients displayed advanced liver disease. Response to Peg-IFN/RBV was poor and comparable in both groups, supporting the need for fast access to early treatment with direct-acting antivirals against HCV for vertically co-infected patients.

[Severe neutropenia as side effect of medical treatment in nontuberculous mycobacterial adenitis]. / Neutropenia grave secundaria al tratamiento médico de una adenitis por micobacterias no tuberculosas.

Non-tuberculous mycobacterial adenitis is getting more common in our environment. Epidemiologic studies and clinical trials published nowadays are limited. We present a 2-years-old boy diagnosed of Mycobacterium intracellulare adenitis and severe neutropenia as side effect of combined treatment with oral azythromycin and rifabutin, which recovers after suspending the second one. Liver metabolism of macrolide seems to increase other drugs toxicity, in this case, rifabutin. The patient eventually needed surgery due to persistence of the adenitis despite treatment with antibiotics.

Neutropenia grave secundaria al tratamiento médico de una adenitis por micobacterias no tuberculosas / Severe neutropenia as side effect of medical treatment in nontuberculous mycobacterial adenitis

Non-tuberculous mycobacterial adenitis is getting more common in our environment. Epidemiologic studies and clinical trials published nowadays are limited. We present a 2-years-old boy diagnosed of Mycobacterium intracellulare adenitis and severe neutropenia as side effect of combined treatment with oral azythromycin and rifabutin, which recovers after suspending the second one. Liver metabolism of macrolide seems to increase other drugs toxicity, in this case, rifabutin. The patient eventually needed surgery due to persistence of the adenitis despite treatment with antibiotics.

Las adenopatías por micobacterias no tuberculosas (AMNT) son cada vez más frecuentes en nuestro medio. Los estudios epidemiológicos y ensayos clínicos controlados publicados hasta la fecha son escasos. Presentamos el caso de un niño de 2 años con el diagnóstico de una adenitis por Mycobacterium intracellulare que desarrolló una neutropenia grave secundaria a la terapia combinada de azitromicina y rifabutina oral. La metabolización hepática de los macrólidos parece aumentar la toxicidad de otros fármacos, en este caso, la rifabutina. Finalmente, al paciente se le realizó una exéresis quirúrgica por persistencia de la adenitis a pesar de la antibioterapia.