TB rates have decreased, while the proportion of foreign-born subjects, particularly MWs, has increased. Adherence to preventive treatment can prevent TB in these cases.

SummaryTime delay to tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis remains a public health concern. In pregnancy, early TB diagnosis is challenging and acquires further significance due to the risk of infection of the newborn as well as others in the maternity setting. We report a delay of 12 weeks in the diagnosis of TB in a pregnant recent immigrant from Ethiopia to Israel. Contact investigation revealed pulmonary TB in her two daughters aged four and seven years. We discuss the reasons for this delay in diagnosis, how a more timely diagnosis might have been made, and the dilemma of initiating treatment in unconfirmed TB.

ObjectivesPeople living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who develop tuberculosis disease are at greater mortality-risk. This study aimed to assess tuberculosis disease incidence among all PLWHA in Israel and identify populations at high-risk for developing tuberculosis.Design and MethodsRetrospective cohort-study based on the National HIV and Tuberculosis Registries, which were cross-matched and followed for the last 28-years. PLWHA who developed tuberculosis were compared to those who did not by the Cox-proportional analysis to generate hazard-ratios, and survival-analysis was performed by Log-Rank test.ResultsOf all the 6579 PLWHA reported between 1983 and 2010, corresponding to 55737 person-years, 384 (5.8%) developed tuberculosis. Of those, 14 were Israeli-born and 370 were non-Israeli born. The overall tuberculosis incidence-density was 6.9 cases/1000 person-years (95% CI 1.8–12.0). The cumulative tuberculosis-incidence among PLWHA in 2010 was 586 times higher than in HIV-negative individuals (3400 and 5.8 cases per 100000 population, respectively). Higher hazard-ratios to developing tuberculosis were found in migrant citizens PLWHA who were males, non-Israeli born, those who were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS after 1997, those who originated in high-tuberculosis prevalence country and those who acquired HIV by heterosexual or drug-injection transmission. PLWHA who developed tuberculosis had higher odds of dying than other PLWHA (36.5% and 16.6%, respectively, p<0.001, odds ratio = 2.8, 95% confidence-interval 2.3–3.6). In survival-analysis, time to develop tuberculosis was shorter among males than females, in PLWHA who were reported with HIV after 1997, in heterosexual who originated in high-tuberculosis countries, followed by injecting drug-users, heterosexual from low-tuberculosis burden countries and men who have sex with men.ConclusionTuberculosis-incidence is higher among non-Israeli born PLWHA, with decreasing trends from 1991. Despite the moderate TB-rate disease among PLWHA, it remains an important cause for severe morbidity and mortality. Tuberculosis in PLWHA reflects mainly the tuberculosis-burden in the originating country and possibly also the mode of HIV-transmission.

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) patients who are co-infected with HIV are at greater risk of mortality. Nevertheless, not all countries achieved sustainable and TB and HIV collaboration to describe the burden of both diseases at a national scale. This study aims to describe HIV prevalence among TB-patients in Israel and identify variable associated with TB/HIV co-infection.MethodsThis retrospective study was conducted by cross-matching the National HIV and TB Registries to describe TB/HIV epidemiology during the last 13-years and define variables predicting TB/HIV co-infection.ResultsBetween 1999 and 2011, 5,502 TB-patients were reported: 779 (14.2%) were Israeli-born and 4,723 (85.8%) non-Israeli born. Of all TB patients, 254 (4.6%) were HIV-infected. The trend of HIV/TB co-infection among non-Israeli born has generally decreased since 2003 (trend analysis p < 0.001).TB/HIV co-infected patients were mostly males, their TB diagnosis had been performed relatively in shorter time following their arrival in Israel, more likely to be in the 35–44 and 25–34 age groups, non-Israeli born (mostly Africa born), more likely to be culture positive, have multi-drug resistant strains, had worse treatment outcomes and more likely to die treatment than HIV-negative tuberculosis patient. In a multivariate analysis, short time after arrival in Israel, older age, being born in Ethiopia, having positive sputum, positive culture and multi-drug resistant TB predicted TB/HIV co-infection.TB/HIV co-infected patients with extra-pulmonary TB had a higher proportion of infection in lymphatic, miliary and abdominal sites than those with extra-pulmonary TB who were HIV-negative.ConclusionsMost TB/HIV co-infected patients were migrants originating in high-burden countries. Despite the moderate 4.6% TB/HIV co-infection rate in Israel, these patients had worse treatment outcomes and higher mortality rates. This study illustrates the importance of integrating TB with HIV in surveillance and treatment components, which should be employed in other countries, as it has a positive impact on disease control.

UDM achieved better treatment outcomes, as they were screened upon entry and treatment was initiated in detention, while DLM were diagnosed in the community and may have felt more secure to abandon treatment.