Safety of high-dose amikacin in the first week of all-oral rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis treatment for the prevention of acquired resistance (STAKE): protocol for a single-arm clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: An effective rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) treatment regimen should include prevention of resistance amplification. While bedaquiline (BDQ) has been recommended in all-oral RR-TB treatment regimen since 2019, resistance is rising at alarming rates. This may be due to BDQ's delayed bactericidal effect, which increases the risk of selecting for resistance to fluoroquinolones and/or BDQ in the first week of treatment when the bacterial load is highest. We aim to strengthen the first week of treatment with the injectable drug amikacin (AMK). To limit the ototoxicity risk while maximising the bactericidal effect, we will evaluate the safety of adding a 30 mg/kg AMK injection on the first and fourth day of treatment. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will conduct a single-arm clinical trial on 20 RR-TB patients nested within an operational study called ShoRRT (All oral Shorter Treatment Regimen for Drug resistant Tuberculosis). In addition to all-oral RR-TB treatment, patients will receive two doses of AMK. The primary safety endpoint is any grade 3-4 adverse event during the first 2 weeks of treatment related to the use of AMK. With a sample size of 20 patients, we will have at least 80% statistical power to support the alternative hypothesis, indicating that less than 14% of patients treated with AMK experience a grade 3-4 adverse event related to its use. Safety data obtained from this study will inform a larger multicountry study on using two high doses of AMK to prevent acquired resistance. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of Rwanda, Rwanda Food and Drug Authority, Universitair Ziekenhuis, the Institute of Tropical Medicine ethics review board. All participants will provide informed consent. Study results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05555303.

Introducción de nuevos métodos de control de calidad de baciloscopia de esputo BAAR, en el Laboratorio Nacional de Referencia del Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kourí / Introduction of new sputum bacilloscopy quality control methods in the National Reference Laboratory of Pedro Kourí Institute

El Programa Nacional de Control de la Tuberculosis (TB) en Cuba, establece realizar el control de calidad (CC) externo de la baciloscopia (BK) a 100 por ciento de las láminas positivas y a 10 por ciento de las negativas, enviadas de forma mensual por los laboratorios de la red de diagnóstico de TB a los centros de referencia provinciales y al Laboratorio Nacional de Referencia de Tuberculosis y Micobacterias del Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kourí (LNRTB IPK).