National profile and treatment outcomes of adult smear-negative pulmonary TB patients in Benin.

BACKGROUND: In Benin, patients with smear-negative pulmonary TB (SNPTB) are of low priority in the National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) and little is known about their profile or treatment outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was carried out to determine characteristics and treatment outcomes in all adults registered with SNPTB in 2009. Findings were compared with patients with new smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) diagnosed in the same period. RESULTS: Of 3140 patients with PTB, 273 (8.7%) had SNPTB, with higher rates in northern and southwestern regions. SNPTB was associated with female gender, older age and HIV-positive status (p<0.01). Patients with SNPTB had a higher proportion of unsuccessful treatment outcomes compared with smear-positive PTB owing to death and loss to follow-up (LFU) (p<0.01). The region with the capital city had the highest rate of LFU. Differences in unsuccessful outcomes between SNPTB and smear-positive PTB were more apparent in persons who were HIV-negative, and among HIV-positives not on antiretroviral treatment. CONCLUSION: In Benin, treatment outcomes of SNPTB patients were inferior to those with smear-positive PTB, with LFU being a major problem. The Benin NTP needs to better address the problem of patients with SNPTB in terms of monitoring and reporting, treatment management including that associated with HIV care, and reducing LFU.

Assessment of clofazimine activity in a second-line regimen for tuberculosis in mice.

RATIONALE: Although observational studies suggest that clofazimine-containing regimens are highly active against drug-resistant tuberculosis, the contribution of clofazimine for the treatment of this disease has never been systematically evaluated. OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to directly compare the activity of a standard second-line drug regimen with or without the addition of clofazimine in a mouse model of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Our comparative outcomes included time to culture conversion in the mouse lungs and the percentage of relapses after treatment cessation. METHODS: Mice were aerosol-infected with an isoniazid-resistant (as a surrogate of multidrug-resistant) strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Treatment, which was administered for 5 to 9 months, was initiated 2 weeks after infection and comprised the following second-line regimen: daily (5 d/wk) moxifloxacin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide, supplemented with amikacin during the first 2 months. One-half of the mice also received daily clofazimine. The decline in lung bacterial load was assessed monthly using charcoal-containing agar to reduce clofazimine carryover. Relapse was assessed 6 months after treatment cessation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: After 2 months, the bacillary load in lungs was reduced from 9.74 log10 at baseline to 3.61 and 4.68 in mice treated with or without clofazimine, respectively (P < 0.001). Mice treated with clofazimine were culture-negative after 5 months, whereas all mice treated without clofazimine remained heavily culture-positive for the entire 9 months of the study. The relapse rate was 7% among mice treated with clofazimine for 8 to 9 months. CONCLUSIONS: The clofazimine contribution was substantial in these experimental conditions.

Assessment of organizational measures to prevent nosocomial tuberculosis in health facilities of 4 sub-Saharan countries in 2010.

BACKGROUND: The prevention of tuberculosis (TB) transmission in healthcare settings is a major issue, particularly because of the interaction between human immunodeficiency virus and TB and the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB. SETTING: Healthcare facilities involved in TB management in 4 African countries (Benin, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, and Togo). METHODS: A questionnaire was developed by representatives of the 4 countries to evaluate the organizational measures implemented in facilities involved in TB management. On-site visits were performed between July 2010 and July 2011. RESULTS: A total of 115 facilities, including 10 university hospitals and 92 basic management units, were visited. None had a TB infection control plan, and only 5.2% provided education for staff about nosocomial TB. Overall, 48.3% of the facilities performed triage of suspected TB cases on hospital arrival or admission, 89.6% provided education for TB cases on cough etiquette, 20.0% segregated smear-positive TB cases, and 15.7% segregated previously treated cases. A total of 15.5% of the facilities registered TB among staff, for a global prevalence rate of 348 cases per 100,000 staff members. CONCLUSION: This survey identified simple and mostly costless administrative measures to be urgently implemented at the local level to prevent nosocomial TB, such as staff education, triage on admission, and segregation of previously treated patients.