Comparison of the yield of tuberculosis among contacts of multidrug-resistant and drug-sensitive tuberculosis patients in Ethiopia using GeneXpert as a primary diagnostic test

Abstract

The yield of TB among contacts of MDR-TB and DS-TB patients using GeneXpert was high as compared to the population-level prevalence. The likelihood of diagnosing rifampicin-resistant TB among contacts of MDR-TB index cases was higher in comparison with contacts of DS-TB index cases. The use of GeneXpert in DS-TB contact investigation has the added advantage of diagnosing rifampicin-resistant TB cases when compared to the use of the nationally recommended acid-fast bacillus (AFB) microscopy for DS-TB contact investigation.

<p>Prevalence of Tuberculosis by Automated GeneXpert Rifampicin Assay and Associated Risk Factors Among Presumptive Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients at Ataye District Hospital, North East Ethiopia</p>

“…But out of 14 study subjects who had a history of contact with DS-TB only 1 had RR-TB result. 32 Similarly, in the current study, only one study subject developed RR-TB. Several studies in Ethiopia 7,8,15 and elsewhere 33,34 indicated that a history of previous TB treatment had strong association with the development of PTB and MDR-TB; whereas in the present study it was not associated with PTB.…”

“…12,31 Another study in Ethiopia indicated the prevalence of TB among presumptive PTB suspected who had contacts with MDR-TB patients was 45% and among presumptive PTB suspected who had contacts with DS-TB patients was 34%. 32 Having a contact history with MDR-TB infected cases was an important predictor (8/9) to develop RR-TB. But out of 14 study subjects who had a history of contact with DS-TB only 1 had RR-TB result.…”

Evaluating the integration of tuberculosis screening and contact investigation in tuberculosis clinics in Ethiopia: A mixed method study

“…Similarly, a facility-based study on childhood TB screening in rural Pakistan identified 390 additional children with TB through contact tracing [33]. Studies from the southern region of Ethiopia [37], Amhara and Oromia regions [38][39][40] have shown that contact tracing can serve as a good entry point for IPT provision. However, this has not been replicated in all countries as shown by a study in Botswana attributing the low coverage of IPT to a poor implementation of contact tracing [41].…”

Performance of algorithms for tuberculosis active case finding in underserved high-prevalence settings in Cambodia: a cross-sectional study

“…However, ACF interventions identify people earlier in their disease history and possibly with lower bacillary loads and a negative sputum examination [2,5]. ACF algorithms increasingly include Xpert MTB/RIF testing [11][12][13], which has a higher sensitivity than sputum smear microscopy (SSM) [14]. However, if the number needed to test (NNT) with Xpert MTB/RIF to diagnose one case with BC PTB is high, this approach is costly and CLIN PTB is overlooked [5].…”