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Kay A, Vasiliu A, Carratala-Castro L, Mtafya B, Mendez Reyes JE, Maphalala N, Munguambe S, Mulengwa D, Ness T, Saavedra B, Bacha J, Maphalala G, Mejia R, Mtetwa G, Acacio S, Manjate P, Mambuque E, Shiba N, Kota N, Ziyane M, Ntinginya NE, Lange C, Kirchner HL, DiNardo AR, Garcia-Basteiro AL, Mandalakas AM. Performance of a stool-based quantitative PCR assay for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in adolescents and adults: a multinational, prospective diagnostic accuracy study. THE LANCET. MICROBE 2024; 5:e433-e441. [PMID: 38461830 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(23)00391-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite increasing availability of rapid molecular tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in high-burden settings, many people with tuberculosis are undiagnosed. Reliance on sputum as the primary specimen for tuberculosis diagnostics contributes to this diagnostic gap. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy and additive yield of a novel stool quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in three countries in Africa with high tuberculosis burdens. METHODS We undertook a prospective diagnostic accuracy study in Eswatini, Mozambique, and Tanzania from Sept 21, 2020, to Feb 2, 2023, to compare the diagnostic accuracy for tuberculosis of a novel stool qPCR test with the current diagnostic standard for Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA detection from sputum and stool, Xpert-MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra). Sputum, stool, and urine samples were provided by a cohort of participants, aged 10 years or older, diagnosed with tuberculosis. Participants with tuberculosis (cases) were enrolled within 72 h of treatment initiation for tuberculosis diagnosed clinically or following laboratory confirmation. Participants without tuberculosis (controls) consisted of household contacts of the cases who did not develop tuberculosis during a 6-month follow-up. The performance was compared with a robust composite microbiological reference standard (CMRS). FINDINGS The cohort of adolescents and adults (n=408) included 268 participants with confirmed or clinical tuberculosis (cases), 147 (55%) of whom were living with HIV, and 140 participants (controls) without tuberculosis. The sensitivity of the novel stool qPCR was 93·7% (95% CI 87·4-97·4) compared with participants with detectable growth on M tuberculosis culture, and 88·1% (81·3-93·0) compared with sputum Xpert Ultra. The stool qPCR had an equivalent sensitivity as sputum Xpert Ultra (94·8%, 89·1-98·1) compared with culture. Compared with the CMRS, the sensitivity of the stool qPCR was higher than the current standard for tuberculosis diagnostics on stool, Xpert Ultra (80·4%, 73·4-86·2 vs 73·5%, 66·0-80·1; p=0·025 on paired comparison). The qPCR also identified 17-21% additional tuberculosis cases compared to sputum Xpert Ultra or sputum culture. In controls without tuberculosis, the specificity of the stool qPCR was 96·9% (92·2-99·1). INTERPRETATION In this study, a novel qPCR for the diagnosis of tuberculosis from stool specimens had a higher accuracy in adolescents and adults than the current diagnostic PCR gold standard on stool, Xpert-MTB/RIF Ultra, and equivalent sensitivity to Xpert-MTB/RIF Ultra on sputum. FUNDING National Institutes of Health (NIH) Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and NIH Fogarty International Center.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Kay
- Global TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Eswatini, Mbabane, Eswatini.
| | - Anca Vasiliu
- Global TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lucia Carratala-Castro
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigação em Saude de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Bariki Mtafya
- National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR)-Mbeya Medical Research Center, Mbeya, Tanzania
| | | | - Nontobeko Maphalala
- Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Eswatini, Mbabane, Eswatini
| | - Shilzia Munguambe
- Centro de Investigação em Saude de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Durbbin Mulengwa
- Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Eswatini, Mbabane, Eswatini
| | - Tara Ness
- Global TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Belen Saavedra
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigação em Saude de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Jason Bacha
- Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Mbeya, Mbeya, Tanzania
| | | | - Rojelio Mejia
- Pediatric Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Godwin Mtetwa
- Global TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sozinho Acacio
- Centro de Investigação em Saude de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Patricia Manjate
- Centro de Investigação em Saude de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Edson Mambuque
- Centro de Investigação em Saude de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Nosisa Shiba
- Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Eswatini, Mbabane, Eswatini
| | - Nokwanda Kota
- Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Eswatini, Mbabane, Eswatini
| | - Mangaliso Ziyane
- Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Eswatini, Mbabane, Eswatini; Eswatini Health Laboratory Service, Mbabane, Eswatini
| | - Nyanda Elias Ntinginya
- National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR)-Mbeya Medical Research Center, Mbeya, Tanzania
| | - Christoph Lange
- Global TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Division of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Borstel, Germany; Respiratory Medicine and International Health, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - H Lester Kirchner
- Global TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Population Health Sciences, Geisinger, Danville, PA, USA
| | - Andrew R DiNardo
- Global TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Alberto L Garcia-Basteiro
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigação em Saude de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Maria Mandalakas
- Global TB Program, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Division of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Borstel, Germany; Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas Health School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA
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Ealand CS, Sewcharran A, Peters JS, Gordhan BG, Kamariza M, Bertozzi CR, Waja Z, Martinson NA, Kana BD. The performance of tongue swabs for detection of pulmonary tuberculosis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1186191. [PMID: 37743867 PMCID: PMC10512057 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1186191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Oral and/or tongue swabs have demonstrated ability to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in adults with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Swabs provide useful alternative specimens for diagnosis of TB using molecular assays however, the diagnostic pickup by culture requires further improvement and development. Several studies identified the presence of differentially culturable tubercle bacilli (DCTB) populations in a variety of clinical specimens. These organisms do not grow in routine laboratory media and require growth factors in the form of culture filtrate (CF) from logarithmic phase cultures of Mtb H37Rv. Methods Herein, we compared the diagnostic performance of sputum and tongue swabs using Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) assays, Auramine smear, GeneXpert and DCTB assays supplemented with or without CF. Results From 89 eligible participants, 83 (93%), 66 (74%) and 79 (89%) were sputum positive by MGIT, smear and GeneXpert, respectively. The corresponding tongue swabs displayed a lower sensitivity with 39 (44%), 2 (2.0%) and 18 (20%) participants respectively for the same tests. We aimed to improve the diagnostic yield by utilizing DCTB assays. Sputum samples were associated with a higher positivity rate for CF-augmented DCTB at 82/89 (92%) relative to tongue swabs at 36/89 (40%). Similarly, sputum samples had a higher positivity rate for DCTB populations that were CF-independent at 64/89 (72%) relative to tongue swabs at 26/89 (29%). DCTB positivity increased significantly, relative to MGIT culture, for tongue swabs taken from HIV-positive participants. We next tested whether the use of an alternative smear stain, DMN-Trehalose, would improve diagnostic yield but noted no substantial increase. Discussion Collectively, our data show that while tongue swabs yield lower bacterial numbers for diagnostic testing, the use of growth supplementation may improve detection of TB particularly in HIV-positive people but this requires further interrogation in larger studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher S. Ealand
- Department of Science and Innovation/National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand and the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Astika Sewcharran
- Department of Science and Innovation/National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand and the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Julian S. Peters
- Department of Science and Innovation/National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand and the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Bhavna G. Gordhan
- Department of Science and Innovation/National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand and the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mireille Kamariza
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Carolyn R. Bertozzi
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Ziyaad Waja
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Neil A. Martinson
- Department of Science and Innovation/National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand and the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Johns Hopkins University, Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Bavesh D. Kana
- Department of Science and Innovation/National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand and the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Rapid molecular diagnostics of tuberculosis resistance by targeted stool sequencing. Genome Med 2022; 14:52. [PMID: 35585607 PMCID: PMC9118838 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-022-01054-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Stool is an important diagnostic specimen for tuberculosis in populations who struggle to provide sputum, such as children or people living with HIV. However, the culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) complex strains from stool perform poorly. This limits the opportunity for phenotypic drug resistance testing with this specimen. Therefore, reliable molecular methods are urgently needed for comprehensive drug resistance testing on stool specimens. Methods We evaluated the performance of targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS, Deeplex® Myc-TB) for the detection of mutations associated with M. tuberculosis complex drug resistance on DNA isolated from stool specimens provided by participants from a prospective cohort of patients treated for tuberculosis in Eswatini (n = 66; 56 with and 10 participants without M. tuberculosis complex DNA detected in stool by real-time quantitative PCR), and an independent German validation cohort of participants with culture-confirmed tuberculosis (n = 21). Results The tNGS assay detected M. tuberculosis complex DNA in 38 of 56 (68%) samples; for 28 of 38 (74%) samples, a full M. tuberculosis complex drug resistance prediction report was obtained. There was a high degree of concordance with sputum phenotypic drug susceptibility results (κ = 0.82). The ability to predict resistance was concentration-dependent and successful in 7/10 (70%), 18/25 (72%), and 3/21 (14%) of samples with stool PCR concentration thresholds of > 100 femtogram per microliter (fg/μl), 1 to 100 fg/μl, and < 1 fg/μl, respectively (p = 0.0004). The German cohort confirmed these results and demonstrated a similarly high concordance between stool tNGS and sputum phenotypic drug susceptibility results (κ = 0.84). Conclusions tNGS can identify drug resistance from stool provided by tuberculosis patients. This affords the opportunity to obtain critical diagnostic information for tuberculosis patients who struggle to provide respiratory specimens. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13073-022-01054-6.
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Salomon A, Law S, Johnson C, Baddeley A, Rangaraj A, Singh S, Daftary A. Interventions to improve linkage along the HIV-tuberculosis care cascades in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267511. [PMID: 35552547 PMCID: PMC9098064 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In support of global targets to end HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) by 2030, we reviewed interventions aiming to improve TB case-detection and anti-TB treatment among people living with HIV (PLHIV) and HIV testing and antiretroviral treatment initiation among people with TB disease in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS We conducted a systematic review of comparative (quasi-)experimental interventional studies published in Medline or EMBASE between January 2003-July 2021. We performed random-effects effect meta-analyses (DerSimonian and Laird method) for interventions that were homogenous (based on intervention descriptions); for others we narratively synthesized the intervention effect. Studies were assessed using ROBINS-I, Cochrane Risk-of-Bias, and GRADE. (PROSPERO #CRD42018109629). RESULTS Of 21,516 retrieved studies, 23 were included, contributing 53 arms and 84,884 participants from 4 continents. Five interventions were analyzed: co-location of test and/or treatment services; patient education and counselling; dedicated personnel; peer support; and financial support. A majority were implemented in primary health facilities (n = 22) and reported on HIV outcomes in people with TB (n = 18). Service co-location had the most consistent positive effect on HIV testing and treatment initiation among people with TB, and TB case-detection among PLHIV. Other interventions were heterogenous, implemented concurrent with standard-of-care strategies and/or diverse facility-level improvements, and produced mixed effects. Operational system, human resource, and/or laboratory strengthening were common within successful interventions. Most studies had a moderate to serious risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS This review provides operational clarity on intervention models that can support early linkages between the TB and HIV care cascades. The findings have supported the World Health Organization 2020 HIV Service Delivery Guidelines update. Further research is needed to evaluate the distinct effect of education and counselling, financial support, and dedicated personnel interventions, and to explore the role of community-based, virtual, and differentiated service delivery models in addressing TB-HIV co-morbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Salomon
- School of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada
- McGill International TB Centre, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Canada
| | - Stephanie Law
- McGill International TB Centre, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Canada
| | - Cheryl Johnson
- Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Annabel Baddeley
- Global TB Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ajay Rangaraj
- Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Satvinder Singh
- The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Amrita Daftary
- School of Global Health and Dahdaleh Institute of Global Health Research, York University, Toronto, Canada
- Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- * E-mail:
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