Use of High-Resolution Geospatial and Genomic Data to Characterize Recent Tuberculosis Transmission, Botswana.

Combining genomic and geospatial data can be useful for understanding Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission in high-burden tuberculosis (TB) settings. We performed whole-genome sequencing on M. tuberculosis DNA extracted from sputum cultures from a population-based TB study conducted in Gaborone, Botswana, during 2012-2016. We determined spatial distribution of cases on the basis of shared genotypes among isolates. We considered clusters of isolates with ≤5 single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified by whole-genome sequencing to indicate recent transmission and clusters of ≥10 persons to be outbreaks. We obtained both molecular and geospatial data for 946/1,449 (65%) participants with culture-confirmed TB; 62 persons belonged to 5 outbreaks of 10-19 persons each. We detected geospatial clustering in just 2 of those 5 outbreaks, suggesting heterogeneous spatial patterns. Our findings indicate that targeted interventions applied in smaller geographic areas of high-burden TB identified using integrated genomic and geospatial data might help interrupt TB transmission during outbreaks.

Discordant results of Xpert MTB/Rif assay and BACTEC MGIT 960 liquid culture to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis in community screening in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Xpert MTB/Rif, a molecular test to detect tuberculosis (TB), has been proven to have high sensitivity and specificity when compared with liquid culture in clinical settings. However, little is known about its performance in community TB screening. METHODS: In Vietnam, a national TB prevalence survey was conducted in 2017. Survey participants who screened positive by chest X-ray, cough symptoms and/or recent history of tuberculosis were requested to provide at least two sputum samples that were tested for Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Xpert MTB/Rif G4 (Xpert) and BACTEC MGIT960 culture (MGIT). RESULTS: There were 4,649 eligible participants provided both samples for testing. Among them, 236 (5.1%) participants tested positive for TB by Xpert, 244 (5.3%) tested positive by MGIT and 317 tested positive by at least one test; 163 (51.4%) had discordant test results. Of the positive Xpert, 162 (68.6%) showed a low or very low bacterial load. In multivariate logistic regression comparing discordant with Xpert-MGIT concordant positive results, discordant Xpert-positive results occurred more often among participants who had low sputum bacterial load, male sex, a history of TB treatment, or night sweats. The associated factors were male sex, abnormal chest X-ray and having night sweats when the logistic model was against those with both Xpert and MGIT negative. CONCLUSIONS: We found high rates of discordance in the performance of Xpert and MGIT for community-based TB case finding. In situations where the majority of TB cases are expected to have a low bacterial load, multiple diagnostic tests and/or multiple samples are required to reach sufficient sensitivity.

Tuberculosis attributed to transmission within healthcare facilities, Botswana-The Kopanyo Study.

OBJECTIVE: Healthcare facilities are a well-known high-risk environment for transmission of M. tuberculosis, the etiologic agent of tuberculosis (TB) disease. However, the link between M. tuberculosis transmission in healthcare facilities and its role in the general TB epidemic is unknown. We estimated the proportion of overall TB transmission in the general population attributable to healthcare facilities. METHODS: We combined data from a prospective, population-based molecular epidemiologic study with a universal electronic medical record (EMR) covering all healthcare facilities in Botswana to identify biologically plausible transmission events occurring at the healthcare facility. Patients with M. tuberculosis isolates of the same genotype visiting the same facility concurrently were considered an overlapping event. We then used TB diagnosis and treatment data to categorize overlapping events into biologically plausible definitions. We calculated the proportion of overall TB cases in the cohort that could be attributable to healthcare facilities. RESULTS: In total, 1,881 participants had TB genotypic and EMR data suitable for analysis, resulting in 46,853 clinical encounters at 338 healthcare facilities. We identified 326 unique overlapping events involving 370 individual patients; 91 (5%) had biologic plausibility for transmission occurring at a healthcare facility. A sensitivity analysis estimated that 3%-8% of transmission may be attributable to healthcare facilities. CONCLUSIONS: Although effective interventions are critical in reducing individual risk for healthcare workers and patients at healthcare facilities, our findings suggest that development of targeted interventions aimed at community transmission may have a larger impact in reducing TB.

Characterizing tuberculosis transmission dynamics in high-burden urban and rural settings.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission dynamics in high-burden settings are poorly understood. Growing evidence suggests transmission may be characterized by extensive individual heterogeneity in secondary cases (i.e., superspreading), yet the degree and influence of such heterogeneity is largely unknown and unmeasured in high burden-settings. We conducted a prospective, population-based molecular epidemiology study of TB transmission in both an urban and rural setting of Botswana, one of the highest TB burden countries in the world. We used these empirical data to fit two mathematical models (urban and rural) that jointly quantified both the effective reproductive number, [Formula: see text], and the propensity for superspreading in each population. We found both urban and rural populations were characterized by a high degree of individual heterogeneity, however such heterogeneity disproportionately impacted the rural population: 99% of secondary transmission was attributed to only 19% of infectious cases in the rural population compared to 60% in the urban population and the median number of incident cases until the first outbreak of 30 cases was only 32 for the rural model compared to 791 in the urban model. These findings suggest individual heterogeneity plays a critical role shaping local TB epidemiology within subpopulations.

Environmental sampling for SARS-CoV-2 at a reference laboratory and provincial hospital in central Viet Nam, 2020.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether environmental surface contamination with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) occurred at a provincial hospital in Viet Nam that admitted patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and at the regional reference laboratory responsible for confirmatory testing for SARS-CoV-2 in 2020. METHODS: Environmental samples were collected from patient and staff areas at the hospital and various operational and staff areas at the laboratory. Specimens from frequently touched surfaces in all rooms were collected using a moistened swab rubbed over a 25 cm2 area for each surface. The swabs were immediately transported to the laboratory for testing by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Throat specimens were collected from staff at both locations and were also tested for SARS-CoV-2 using real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: During the sampling period, the laboratory tested 6607 respiratory specimens for SARS-CoV-2 from patients within the region, and the hospital admitted 9 COVID-19 cases. Regular cleaning was conducted at both sites in accordance with infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. All 750 environmental samples (300 laboratory and 450 hospital) and 30 staff specimens were negative for SARS-CoV-2. DISCUSSION: IPC measures at the facilities may have contributed to the negative results from the environmental samples. Other possible explanations include sampling late in a patient's hospital stay when virus load was lower, having insufficient contact time with a surface or using insufficiently moist collection swabs. Further environmental sampling studies of SARS-CoV-2 should consider including testing for the environmental presence of viruses within laboratory settings, targeting the collection of samples to early in the course of a patient's illness and including sampling of confirmed positive control surfaces, while maintaining appropriate biosafety measures.

Derivation and external validation of a risk score for predicting HIV-associated tuberculosis to support case finding and preventive therapy scale-up: A cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Among people living with HIV (PLHIV), more flexible and sensitive tuberculosis (TB) screening tools capable of detecting both symptomatic and subclinical active TB are needed to (1) reduce morbidity and mortality from undiagnosed TB; (2) facilitate scale-up of tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) while reducing inappropriate prescription of TPT to PLHIV with subclinical active TB; and (3) allow for differentiated HIV-TB care. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We used Botswana XPRES trial data for adult HIV clinic enrollees collected during 2012 to 2015 to develop a parsimonious multivariable prognostic model for active prevalent TB using both logistic regression and random forest machine learning approaches. A clinical score was derived by rescaling final model coefficients. The clinical score was developed using southern Botswana XPRES data and its accuracy validated internally, using northern Botswana data, and externally using 3 diverse cohorts of antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive and ART-experienced PLHIV enrolled in XPHACTOR, TB Fast Track (TBFT), and Gugulethu studies from South Africa (SA). Predictive accuracy of the clinical score was compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) 4-symptom TB screen. Among 5,418 XPRES enrollees, 2,771 were included in the derivation dataset; 67% were female, median age was 34 years, median CD4 was 240 cells/µL, 189 (7%) had undiagnosed prevalent TB, and characteristics were similar between internal derivation and validation datasets. Among XPHACTOR, TBFT, and Gugulethu cohorts, median CD4 was 400, 73, and 167 cells/µL, and prevalence of TB was 5%, 10%, and 18%, respectively. Factors predictive of TB in the derivation dataset and selected for the clinical score included male sex (1 point), ≥1 WHO TB symptom (7 points), smoking history (1 point), temperature >37.5°C (6 points), body mass index (BMI) <18.5kg/m2 (2 points), and severe anemia (hemoglobin <8g/dL) (3 points). Sensitivity using WHO 4-symptom TB screen was 73%, 80%, 94%, and 94% in XPRES, XPHACTOR, TBFT, and Gugulethu cohorts, respectively, but increased to 88%, 87%, 97%, and 97%, when a clinical score of ≥2 was used. Negative predictive value (NPV) also increased 1%, 0.3%, 1.6%, and 1.7% in XPRES, XPHACTOR, TBFT, and Gugulethu cohorts, respectively, when the clinical score of ≥2 replaced WHO 4-symptom TB screen. Categorizing risk scores into low (<2), moderate (2 to 10), and high-risk categories (>10) yielded TB prevalence of 1%, 1%, 2%, and 6% in the lowest risk group and 33%, 22%, 26%, and 32% in the highest risk group for XPRES, XPHACTOR, TBFT, and Gugulethu cohorts, respectively. At clinical score ≥2, the number needed to screen (NNS) ranged from 5.0 in Gugulethu to 11.0 in XPHACTOR. Limitations include that the risk score has not been validated in resource-rich settings and needs further evaluation and validation in contemporary cohorts in Africa and other resource-constrained settings. CONCLUSIONS: The simple and feasible clinical score allowed for prioritization of sensitivity and NPV, which could facilitate reductions in mortality from undiagnosed TB and safer administration of TPT during proposed global scale-up efforts. Differentiation of risk by clinical score cutoff allows flexibility in designing differentiated HIV-TB care to maximize impact of available resources.

Population-Based Geospatial and Molecular Epidemiologic Study of Tuberculosis Transmission Dynamics, Botswana, 2012-2016.

Tuberculosis (TB) elimination requires interrupting transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We used a multidisciplinary approach to describe TB transmission in 2 sociodemographically distinct districts in Botswana (Kopanyo Study). During August 2012-March 2016, all patients who had TB were enrolled, their sputum samples were cultured, and M. tuberculosis isolates were genotyped by using 24-locus mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units-variable number of tandem repeats. Of 5,515 TB patients, 4,331 (79%) were enrolled. Annualized TB incidence varied by geography (range 66-1,140 TB patients/100,000 persons). A total of 1,796 patient isolates had valid genotyping results and residential geocoordinates; 780 (41%) patients were involved in a localized TB transmission event. Residence in areas with a high burden of TB, age <24 years, being a current smoker, and unemployment were factors associated with localized transmission events. Patients with known HIV-positive status had lower odds of being involved in localized transmission.

Decline of Tuberculosis Burden in Vietnam Measured by Consecutive National Surveys, 2007-2017.

Vietnam, a high tuberculosis (TB) burden country, conducted national TB prevalence surveys in 2007 and 2017. In both surveys participants were screened by using a questionnaire and chest radiograph; sputum samples were then collected to test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis by smear microscopy and Löwenstein-Jensen culture. Culture-positive, smear-positive, and smear-negative TB cases were defined by laboratory results, and the prevalence of tuberculosis was compared between the 2 surveys. The results showed prevalence of culture-positive TB decreased by 37% (95% CI 11.5%-55.4%), from 199 (95% CI 160-248) cases/100,000 adults in 2007 to 125 (95% CI 98-159) cases/100,000 adults in 2017. Prevalence of smear-positive TB dropped by 53% (95% CI 27.0%-69.7%), from 99 (95% CI 78-125) cases/100,000 adults to 46 (95% CI 32-68) cases/100,000 adults; smear-negative TB showed no substantial decrease. Replacing microscopy with molecular methods for primary diagnostics might enhance diagnosis of pulmonary TB cases and further lower TB burden.

Risk scores for predicting early antiretroviral therapy mortality in sub-Saharan Africa to inform who needs intensification of care: a derivation and external validation cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Clinical scores to determine early (6-month) antiretroviral therapy (ART) mortality risk have not been developed for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), home to 70% of people living with HIV. In the absence of validated scores, WHO eligibility criteria (EC) for ART care intensification are CD4 < 200/µL or WHO stage III/IV. METHODS: We used Botswana XPRES trial data for adult ART enrollees to develop CD4-independent and CD4-dependent multivariable prognostic models for 6-month mortality. Scores were derived by rescaling coefficients. Scores were developed using the first 50% of XPRES ART enrollees, and their accuracy validated internally and externally using South African TB Fast Track (TBFT) trial data. Predictive accuracy was compared between scores and WHO EC. RESULTS: Among 5553 XPRES enrollees, 2838 were included in the derivation dataset; 68% were female and 83 (3%) died by 6 months. Among 1077 TBFT ART enrollees, 55% were female and 6% died by 6 months. Factors predictive of 6-month mortality in the derivation dataset at p < 0.01 and selected for the CD4-independent score included male gender (2 points), ≥ 1 WHO tuberculosis symptom (2 points), WHO stage III/IV (2 points), severe anemia (hemoglobin < 8 g/dL) (3 points), and temperature > 37.5 °C (2 points). The same variables plus CD4 < 200/µL (1 point) were included in the CD4-dependent score. Among XPRES enrollees, a CD4-independent score of ≥ 4 would provide 86% sensitivity and 66% specificity, whereas WHO EC would provide 83% sensitivity and 58% specificity. If WHO stage alone was used, sensitivity was 48% and specificity 89%. Among TBFT enrollees, the CD4-independent score of ≥ 4 would provide 95% sensitivity and 27% specificity, whereas WHO EC would provide 100% sensitivity but 0% specificity. Accuracy was similar between CD4-independent and CD4-dependent scores. Categorizing CD4-independent scores into low (< 4), moderate (4-6), and high risk (≥ 7) gave 6-month mortality of 1%, 4%, and 17% for XPRES and 1%, 5%, and 30% for TBFT enrollees. CONCLUSIONS: Sensitivity of the CD4-independent score was nearly twice that of WHO stage in predicting 6-month mortality and could be used in settings lacking CD4 testing to inform ART care intensification. The CD4-dependent score improved specificity versus WHO EC. Both scores should be considered for scale-up in SSA.

Correction: The second national tuberculosis prevalence survey in Vietnam.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232142.].

Outcomes of HIV-positive patients with non-tuberculous mycobacteria positive culture who received anti-tuberculous treatment in Botswana: Implications of using diagnostic algorithms without non-tuberculous mycobacteria.

BACKGROUND: Patients with non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) or Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) pulmonary disease may have similar clinical presentation. The potential for misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment exists in settings with limited testing capacity for Xpert® MTB/RIF (Xpert), phenotypic culture and NTM speciation. We describe treatment outcomes among people living with HIV (PLHIV) who received anti-tuberculosis treatment and were found to have NTM or MTB positive sputum cultures. METHODS: PLHIV attending one of the 22 participating HIV clinics, who screened positive for ≥1 tuberculosis (TB) symptoms (cough, fever, night sweats, or weight loss) were asked to submit sputa for culture and speciation from August 2012 to November 2014. The national intensified TB case finding algorithms were followed: initially symptomatic patients were evaluated by testing sputum samples using a smear (smear-based TB diagnostic algorithm) and, after GeneXpert instruments were installed, by testing with Xpert (Xpert-based TB diagnostic algorithm). Within the study period, TB diagnostic algorithms used for MTB did not include screening, diagnosis, and management of NTM. Despite MTB negative culture, some symptomatic patients, including those with NTM positive culture, received empirical anti-TB treatment at the discretion of treating clinicians. Per the World Health Organization treatment outcomes classification: died, treatment failure or loss-to-follow-up were classified as unfavorable (unsuccessful) outcome; cured and treatment completed were classified as favorable (successful) outcome. Empiric treatment was defined as initiating treatment without or before receiving a test result indicating MTB. We compare treatment outcomes and characteristics among patients with NTM or MTB positive culture who received anti-TB treatment. RESULTS: Among 314 PLHIV, who were found co-infected with TB, 146 cases had microbiological evidence; and for 131/146 MTB positive cultures were reported. One-hundred fifty-two of the 314 were clinically diagnosed with TB and treated empirically. Among those empirically treated for TB, 36/152 had culture results positive for NTM, and another 43/152 had culture results positive for MTB, reported after patients received empirical anti-TB treatment. Overall, MTB positive culture results were reported for 174 (131 plus 43) patients. Treatment outcomes were available for 32/36 NTM and 139/174 MTB; unfavorable outcomes were 12.5% and 8.7% for NTM and MTB, respectively, p = 0.514, respectively. For 34/36 tested NTM patients, all Xpert results indicated 'no MTB'. Among patients who initially received empiric anti-TB treatment and ultimately were found to have MTB positive culture, the unfavorable outcome was 11.8% (4/34), compared to 12.5% (4/32) of patients with NTM positive culture, Fisher's exact test p = 1.00. CONCLUSIONS: While the higher unfavorable outcome was non statistically significant, the impact of inappropriate treatment among NTM patients should not be overlooked. Our findings suggest that Xpert has the potential to rapidly rule-out NTM and avoid sub-optimal treatment; further research is needed to evaluate such potential.

The second national tuberculosis prevalence survey in Vietnam.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Vietnam. The current TB burden is unknown as not all individuals with TB are diagnosed, recorded and notified. The second national TB prevalence survey was conducted in 2017-2018 to assess the current burden of TB disease in the country. METHOD: Eighty-two clusters were selected using a multistage cluster sampling design. Adult (≥15 years of age) residents having lived for 2 weeks or more in the households of the selected clusters were invited to participate in the survey. The survey participants were screened for TB by a questionnaire and digital chest X-ray after providing written informed consent. Individuals with a positive symptom screen and/or chest X-ray suggestive of TB were asked to provide sputum samples to test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Ziehl-Neelsen direct light microscopy, Xpert MTB/RIF G4, BACTEC MGIT960 liquid culture and Löwenstein-Jensen solid culture. Bacteriologically confirmed TB cases were defined by an expert panel following a standard decision tree. RESULT: Of 87,207 eligible residents, 61,763 (70.8%) participated, and 4,738 (7.7%) screened positive for TB. Among these, 221 participants were defined as bacteriologically confirmed TB cases. The estimated prevalence of bacteriologically confirmed adult pulmonary TB was 322 (95% CI: 260-399) per 100,000, and the male-to-female ratio was 4.0 (2.8-5.8, p<0.001). In-depth interviews with the participants with TB disease showed that only 57.9% (95% CI: 51.3-64.3%) reported cough for 2 weeks or more and 32.1% (26.3-38.6%) did not report any symptom consistent with TB, while their chest X-ray results showed that 97.7% (95% CI: 94.6-99.1) had abnormal chest X-ray images suggesting TB. CONCLUSION: With highly sensitive diagnostics applied, this survey showed that the TB burden in Vietnam remains high. Half of the TB cases were not picked up by general symptom-based screening and were identified by chest X-ray only. Our results indicate that improving TB diagnostic capacity and access to care, along with reducing TB stigma, need to be top priorities for TB control and elimination in Vietnam.

A Neighbor-Based Approach to Identify Tuberculosis Exposure, the Kopanyo Study.

Contact investigation is one public health measure used to prevent tuberculosis by identifying and treating persons exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Contact investigations are a major tenet of global tuberculosis elimination efforts, but for many reasons remain ineffective. We describe a novel neighbor-based approach to reframe contact investigations.

Possible Transmission Mechanisms of Mixed Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in High HIV Prevalence Country, Botswana.

Tuberculosis caused by concurrent infection with multiple Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains (i.e., mixed infection) challenges clinical and epidemiologic paradigms. We explored possible transmission mechanisms of mixed infection in a population-based, molecular epidemiology study in Botswana during 2012-2016. We defined mixed infection as multiple repeats of alleles at >2 loci within a discrete mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable-number tandem-repeat (MIRU-VNTR) result. We compared mixed infection MIRU-VNTR results with all study MIRU-VNTR results by considering all permutations at each multiple allele locus; matched MIRU-VNTR results were considered evidence of recently acquired strains and nonmatched to any other results were considered evidence of remotely acquired strains. Among 2,051 patients, 34 (1.7%) had mixed infection, of which 23 (68%) had recently and remotely acquired strains. This finding might support the mixed infection mechanism of recent transmission and simultaneous remote reactivation. Further exploration is needed to determine proportions of transmission mechanisms in settings where mixed infections are prevalent.

Phylogenetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in two geographically distinct locations in Botswana - The Kopanyo Study.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) is divided into several major phylogenetic lineages, with differential distribution globally. Using population-based data collected over a three year period, we performed 24-locus Mycobacterial Interspersed Repeat Unit - Variable Number Tandem Repeat (MIRU-VNTR) genotyping on all culture isolates from two districts of the country that differ in tuberculosis (TB) incidence (Gaborone, the capital, and Ghanzi in the Western Kalahari). The study objective was to characterize the molecular epidemiology of TB in these districts. Overall phylogenetic diversity mirrored that reported from neighboring Republic of South Africa, but differences in the two districts were marked. All four major lineages of M. tuberculosis were found in Gaborone, but only three of the four major lineages were found in Ghanzi. Strain diversity was lower in Ghanzi, with a large proportion (38%) of all isolates having an identical MIRU-VNTR result, compared to 6% of all isolates in Gaborone with the same MIRU-VNTR result. This study demonstrates localized differences in strain diversity by two districts in Botswana, and contributes to a growing characterization of MTBC diversity globally.

Effect of tuberculosis screening and retention interventions on early antiretroviral therapy mortality in Botswana: a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Undiagnosed tuberculosis (TB) remains the most common cause of HIV-related mortality. Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) is being rolled out globally to improve TB diagnostic capacity. However, previous Xpert impact trials have reported that health system weaknesses blunted impact of this improved diagnostic tool. During phased Xpert rollout in Botswana, we evaluated the impact of a package of interventions comprising (1) additional support for intensified TB case finding (ICF), (2) active tracing for patients missing clinic appointments to support retention, and (3) Xpert replacing sputum-smear microscopy, on early (6-month) antiretroviral therapy (ART) mortality. METHODS: At 22 clinics, ART enrollees > 12 years old were eligible for inclusion in three phases: a retrospective standard of care (SOC), prospective enhanced care (EC), and prospective EC plus Xpert (EC+X) phase. EC and EC+X phases were implemented as a stepped-wedge trial. Participants in the EC phase received SOC plus components 1 (strengthened ICF) and 2 (active tracing) of the intervention package, and participants in the EC+X phase received SOC plus all three intervention package components. Primary and secondary objectives were to compare all-cause 6-month ART mortality between SOC and EC+X and between EC and EC+X phases, respectively. We used adjusted analyses, appropriate for study design, to control for baseline differences in individual-level factors and intra-facility correlation. RESULTS: We enrolled 14,963 eligible patients: 8980 in SOC, 1768 in EC, and 4215 in EC+X phases. Median age of ART enrollees was 35 and 64% were female. Median CD4 cell count was lower in SOC than subsequent phases (184/µL in SOC, 246/µL in EC, and 241/µL in EC+X). By 6 months of ART, 461 (5.3%) of SOC, 54 (3.2%) of EC, and 121 (3.0%) of EC+X enrollees had died. Compared with SOC, 6-month mortality was lower in the EC+X phase (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.61-0.97, p = 0.029). Compared with EC enrollees, 6-month mortality was similar among EC+X enrollees. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to strengthen ICF and retention were associated with lower early ART mortality. This new evidence highlights the need to strengthen ICF and retention in many similar settings. Similar to other trials, no additional mortality benefit of replacing sputum-smear microscopy with Xpert was observed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Retrospectively registered: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02538952).

Tuberculosis treatment outcomes among people living with HIV diagnosed using Xpert MTB/RIF versus sputum-smear microscopy in Botswana: a stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Xpert® MTB/RIF (Xpert) has high sensitivity for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) compared to sputum-smear microscopy (smear) and can reduce time-to-diagnosis, time-to-treatment and potentially unfavorable patient-level treatment outcome. METHODS: People living with HIV (PLHIV) initiating antiretroviral therapy at 22 HIV clinics were enrolled and underwent systematic screening for TB (August 2012-November 2014). GeneXpert instruments were deployed following a stepped-wedge design at 13 centers from October 2012-June 2013. Treatment outcomes classified as an unfavorable outcome (died, treatment failure or loss-to-follow-up) or favorable outcome (cured and treatment completed). To determine outcome, smear was performed at month 5 or 6. Empiric treatment was defined as initiating treatment without/before receiving TB-positive results. Adjusting for intra-facility correlation, we compared patient-level treatment outcomes between patients screened using smear (smear arm)- and Xpert-based algorithms (Xpert arm). RESULTS: Among 6041 patients enrolled (smear arm, 1816; Xpert arm, 4225), 256 (199 per 2985 and 57 per 1582 person-years of follow-up in Xpert and smear arms, respectively; adjusted incidence rate ratio, 9.07; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.70-17.48; p < 0.001) received TB diagnosis and were treated. TB treatment outcomes were available for 203 patients (79.3%; Xpert, 157; smear, 46). Unfavorable outcomes were reported for 21.7% (10/46) in the smear and 13.4% (21/157) in Xpert arm (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.40; 95% CI: 0.75-2.26; p = 0.268). Compared to smear, in Xpert arm median days from sputum collection to TB treatment was 6 days (interquartile range [IQR] 2-17 versus 22 days [IQR] 3-51), p = 0.005; patients with available sputum test result had microbiologically confirmed TB in 59.0% (102/173) versus 41.9% (18/43), adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR], 2.00, 95% CI: 1.01-3.96, p = 0.048). In smear arm empiric treatment was 68.4% (39/57) versus 48.7% (97/199), aOR, 2.28, 95% CI: 1.24-4.20, p = 0.011), compared to Xpert arm. CONCLUSIONS: TB treatment outcomes were similar between the smear and Xpert arms. However, compared to the smear arm, more patients in the Xpert arm received a TB diagnosis, had a microbiologically confirmed TB, and had a shorter time-to-treatment, and had a lower empiric treatment. Further research is recommended to identify potential gaps in the Botswana health system and similar settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02538952. Retrospectively registered on 2 September 2015.

The effect of sputum quality and volume on the yield of bacteriologically-confirmed TB by Xpert MTB/RIF and smear.

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization endorsed (2010) the use of Xpert MTB/RIF and countries are shifting from smear microscopy (smear)-based to Xpert MTB/RIF-based tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic algorithms. As with smear, sputum quality may predict the likelihood of obtaining a bacteriologically-confirmed TB when using Xpert MTB/RIF. METHODS: From 08/12-11/2014, all people living with HIV were recruited at 22 clinics. For patients screened positive using the four TB symptoms their sputa were tested by Xpert MTB/RIF and smear. Laboratorians assessed and recorded sputum appearance and volume. The yield of bacteriologically-positive sputum evaluated using Xpert MTB/RIF and smear, likelihood-ratios were calculated. RESULTS: Among 6,041 patients enrolled 2,296 were presumptive TB, 1,305 (56.8%) had > 1 sputa collected and 644/1,305 (49.3%) had both Xpert MTB/RIF and smear results. Since >1 sputa collected from 644 patients 954 sputa were tested by Xpert MTB/RIF and smear. Bacteriologically-positive sputum was two-fold higher with Xpert MTB/RIF 11.4% versus smear 5.3%, p < 0.001. Sputum appearance and quantity were not predictive of bacteriologically-positive results, except volume of 2ml to < 3ml, tested by Xpert MTB/RIF LR+= 1.26 (95% CI, 1.05-1.50). CONCLUSION: Xpert MTB/RIF test yield to bacteriologically-positive sputum was superior to smear. Sputum quality and quantity, however, were not consistently predictive of bacteriologically-positive results by Xpert MTB/RIF or smear.

Infection prevention and control training and capacity building during the Ebola epidemic in Guinea.

BACKGROUND: During the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, a key epidemiological feature was disease transmission within healthcare facilities, indicating a need for infection prevention and control (IPC) training and support. METHODS: IPC training was provided to frontline healthcare workers (HCW) in healthcare facilities that were not Ebola treatment units, as well as to IPC trainers and IPC supervisors placed in healthcare facilities. Trainings included both didactic and hands-on components, and were assessed using pre-tests, post-tests and practical evaluations. We calculated median percent increase in knowledge. RESULTS: From October-December 2014, 20 IPC courses trained 1,625 Guineans: 1,521 HCW, 55 IPC trainers, and 49 IPC supervisors. Median test scores increased 40% (interquartile range [IQR]: 19-86%) among HCW, 15% (IQR: 8-33%) among IPC trainers, and 21% (IQR: 15-30%) among IPC supervisors (all P<0.0001) to post-test scores of 83%, 93%, and 93%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: IPC training resulted in clear improvements in knowledge and was feasible in a public health emergency setting. This method of IPC training addressed a high demand among HCW. Valuable lessons were learned to facilitate expansion of IPC training to other prefectures; this model may be considered when responding to other large outbreaks.

Higher-than-expected prevalence of non-tuberculous mycobacteria in HIV setting in Botswana: Implications for diagnostic algorithms using Xpert MTB/RIF assay.

BACKGROUND: Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) can cause pulmonary infection and disease especially among people living with HIV (PLHIV). PLHIV with NTM disease may clinically present with one of the four symptoms consistent with tuberculosis (TB). We describe the prevalence of NTM and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolated among PLHIV who presented for HIV care and treatment. METHODS: All PLHIV patients presenting for HIV care and treatment services at 22 clinical sites in Botswana were offered screening for TB and were recruited. Patients who had ≥1 TB symptom were asked to submit sputa for Xpert MTB/RIF and culture. Culture growth was identified as NTM and MTBC using the SD-Bioline TB Ag MPT64 Kit and Ziehl Neelsen microscopy. NTM and MTBC isolates underwent species identification by the Hain GenoType CM and AS line probe assays. RESULTS: Among 16, 259 PLHIV enrolled 3068 screened positive for at least one TB symptom. Of these, 1940 submitted ≥1 sputum specimen, 427 (22%) patients had ≥1 positive-culture result identified phenotypically for mycobacterial growth. Of these 247 and 180 patients were identified as having isolates were NTM and MTBC, respectively. Of the 247 patients identified with isolates containing NTM; 19 were later excluded as not having NTM based on additional genotypic testing. Among the remaining 408 patients 228 (56%, 95% confidence interval, 46-66%) with NTM. M. intracellulare was the most common isolated (47.8%). Other NTMs commonly associated with pulmonary disease included M. malmoense (3.9%), M. avium (2.2%), M. abscessus (0.9%) and M. kansasii (0.4%). After excluding NTM isolates that were non-speciated and M. gordonae 154 (67.5%) of the NTM isolates were potential pathogens. CONCLUSIONS: In the setting of HIV care and treatment, over-half (56%) of a positive sputum culture among PLHIV with TB symptoms was NTM. Though we were not able to distinguish in our study NTM disease and colonization, the study suggests culture and species identification for PLHIV presenting with TB symptoms remains important to facilitate NTM diagnosis and hasten time to appropriate treatment.