SummaryBackgroundThe Xpert MTB/RIF assay is an automated molecular test that has improved the detection of tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance, but its sensitivity is inadequate in patients with paucibacillary disease or HIV. Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) was developed to overcome this limitation. We compared the diagnostic performance of Xpert Ultra with that of Xpert for detection of tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance.MethodsIn this prospective, multicentre, diagnostic accuracy study, we recruited adults with pulmonary tuberculosis symptoms presenting at primary health-care centres and hospitals in eight countries (South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, India, China, Georgia, Belarus, and Brazil). Participants were allocated to the case detection group if no drugs had been taken for tuberculosis in the past 6 months or to the multidrug-resistance risk group if drugs for tuberculosis had been taken in the past 6 months, but drug resistance was suspected. Demographic information, medical history, chest imaging results, and HIV test results were recorded at enrolment, and each participant gave at least three sputum specimen on 2 separate days. Xpert and Xpert Ultra diagnostic performance in the same sputum specimen was compared with culture tests and drug susceptibility testing as reference standards. The primary objectives were to estimate and compare the sensitivity of Xpert Ultra test with that of Xpert for detection of smear-negative tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance and to estimate and compare Xpert Ultra and Xpert specificities for detection of rifampicin resistance. Study participants in the case detection group were included in all analyses, whereas participants in the multidrug-resistance risk group were only included in analyses of rifampicin-resistance detection.FindingsBetween Feb 18, and Dec 24, 2016, we enrolled 2368 participants for sputum sampling. 248 participants were excluded from the analysis, and 1753 participants were distributed to the case detection group (n=1439) and the multidrug-resistance risk group (n=314). Sensitivities of Xpert Ultra and Xpert were 63% and 46%, respectively, for the 137 participants with smear-negative and culture-positive sputum (difference of 17%, 95% CI 10 to 24); 90% and 77%, respectively, for the 115 HIV-positive participants with culture-positive sputum (13%, 6·4 to 21); and 88% and 83%, respectively, across all 462 participants with culture-positive sputum (5·4%, 3·3 to 8·0). Specificities of Xpert Ultra and Xpert for case detection were 96% and 98% (−2·7%, −3·9 to −1·7) overall, and 93% and 98% for patients with a history of tuberculosis. Xpert Ultra and Xpert performed similarly in detecting rifampicin resistance.InterpretationFor tuberculosis case detection, sensitivity of Xpert Ultra was superior to that of Xpert in patients with paucibacillary disease and in patients with HIV. However, this increase in sensitivity came at the expense of a decrease in specificity.FundingGovernment of Netherlands, Government of Australia, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundati...

Background Cryptococcal meningitis accounts for 20 to 25% of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome–related deaths in Africa. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is essential for survival; however, the question of when ART should be initiated after diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis remains unanswered. Methods We assessed survival at 26 weeks among 177 human immunodeficiency virus–infected adults in Uganda and South Africa who had cryptococcal meningitis and had not previously received ART. We randomly assigned study participants to undergo either earlier ART initiation (1 to 2 weeks after diagnosis) or deferred ART initiation (5 weeks after diagnosis). Participants received amphotericin B (0.7 to 1.0 mg per kilogram of body weight per day) and fluconazole (800 mg per day) for 14 days, followed by consolidation therapy with fluconazole. Results The 26-week mortality with earlier ART initiation was significantly higher than with deferred ART initiation (45% [40 of 88 patients] vs. 30% [27 of 89 patients]; hazard ratio for death, 1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 2.82; P = 0.03). The excess deaths associated with earlier ART initiation occurred 2 to 5 weeks after diagnosis (P = 0.007 for the comparison between groups); mortality was similar in the two groups thereafter. Among patients with few white cells in their cerebrospinal fluid (<5 per cubic millimeter) at randomization, mortality was particularly elevated with earlier ART as compared with deferred ART (hazard ratio, 3.87; 95% CI, 1.41 to 10.58; P = 0.008). The incidence of recognized cryptococcal immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome did not differ significantly between the earlier-ART group and the deferred-ART group (20% and 13%, respectively; P = 0.32). All other clinical, immunologic, virologic, and microbiologic outcomes, as well as adverse events, were similar between the groups. Conclusions Deferring ART for 5 weeks after the diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis was associated with significantly improved survival, as compared with initiating ART at 1 to 2 weeks, especially among patients with a paucity of white cells in cerebrospinal fluid. (Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and others; COAT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01075152.)

Background Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) remains a common AIDS-defining illness in Africa and Asia. Sub-clinical cryptococcal antigenemia is frequently unmasked with antiretroviral therapy (ART). We sought to define the cost-effectiveness of serum cryptococcal antigen (CRAG) screening to identify persons with sub-clinical cryptococcosis and the efficacy of preemptive fluconazole. Methods 609 ART-naïve adults with AIDS initiating ART in Kampala, Uganda had a serum CRAG prospectively measured during 2004–2006. The number needed to test/treat (NNT) with a positive CRAG was assessed for ≥30-month outcomes. Results In the overall cohort, 50 persons (8.2%) were serum CRAG positive when starting ART. Of 295 people with CD4+ ≤ 100cells/μL and without prior CM, 26 (8.8%: 95% CI: 5.8–12.6%) were CRAG positive of whom 21 were promptly treated with fluconazole (200–400mg) for 2–4 weeks. Clinical CM developed in 3 fluconazole-treated persons, and 30-month survival was 71% (95% CI: 48%–89%). In the 5 CRAG positive persons with CD4+≤ 100 cell/μL treated with ART but did not fluconazole, all died within 2 months of ART initiation. The NNT with CRAG screening and fluconazole to prevent one CM case is 11.3 (95%CI: 7.9–17.1) at costs of $190 (95%CI: $132–$287). The NNT to save one life is 15.9 (95%CI: 11.1–24.0) at costs of $266 (95% CI: $185–$402). The cost per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) saved is $21 (95%CI: $15 to $32). Conclusions Integrating CRAG screening into HIV care, specifically targeting people with severe immunosuppression (CD4+≤ 100 cells/μL) should be implemented in treatment programs in resource-limited settings. ART alone is insufficient treatment for CRAG-positive persons.