Tuberculosis in human immunodeficiency virus infected Ugandan children starting on antiretroviral therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected children in a resource-limited setting before and after initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and to assess the impact of TB screening by tuberculin skin testing and clinical history. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 1806 HIV-infected children and adolescents (age <18 years) initiating ART from 2003 to 1 July 2006 in Kampala, Uganda. A TB screening program was instituted clinic-wide in January 2006. RESULTS: Of 311 (17.2%) HIV-infected children, 171 had been diagnosed with TB before and 140 after ART initiation. During the first 100 days of ART, risk of a new TB diagnosis was 2.7-fold higher compared to the pre-ART period (RR 2.7, 95%CI 2.1-3.5, P < 0.001). After 100 days of ART, the TB incidence rate decreased to below pre-ART levels (RR 0.41, 95%CI 0.30-0.54, P = 0.002). After TB screening was instituted in 2006, the proportion of new TB cases diagnosed after starting ART decreased by 70% (95%CI 51-82, P < 0.001), abating the early excess risk. CONCLUSIONS: TB is common among African children and adolescents initiating ART in sub-Saharan Africa. More aggressive screening for active TB before starting ART can diminish the rate of TB during immune reconstitution. Future studies are needed to determine optimal screening practices for HIV-infected children.

Tuberculosis in household contacts of infectious cases in Kampala, Uganda.

Tuberculosis remains a serious threat to public health, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. To determine the host and environmental factors responsible for tuberculosis in African households, the authors performed a prospective cohort study of 1,206 household contacts of 302 index cases with tuberculosis enrolled in Uganda between 1995 and 1999. All contacts were systematically evaluated for active tuberculosis and risk factors for active disease. Among the 1,206 household contacts, 76 secondary cases (6%) of tuberculosis were identified. Of these cases, 51 were identified in the baseline evaluation, and 25 developed during follow-up. Compared with index cases, secondary cases presented more often with minimal disease. The risk for secondary tuberculosis was greater among young children than adults (10% vs. 1.9%) and among human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive than -seronegative contacts (23% vs. 3.3%). Host risk factors could not be completely separated from the effects of environmental risk factors, suggesting that a household may represent a complex system of interacting risks for tuberculosis.