The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Jan 2012
A national infection control evaluation of drug-resistant tuberculosis hospitals in South Africa.
The importance of infection control (IC) in health care settings with tuberculosis (TB) patients has been highlighted by recent health care-associated outbreaks in South Africa. ⋯ These findings demonstrate a clear need to improve and standardize IC infrastructure in drug-resistant TB settings in South Africa.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Jan 2012
Patient and doctor perspectives on incorporating smoking cessation into tuberculosis care in Beijing, China.
Tuberculosis (TB) hospital in Beijing, China. ⋯ Despite the presence of a 'teachable moment', TB patients experience significant barriers to quitting smoking. Patient education in TB treatment programs should address the specific effects of smoking on TB and the general health benefits of cessation. Smoke-free policies should be strictly enforced in TB facilities. Successful integration of smoking cessation interventions within TB treatment regimens may require that providers adopt smoking cessation as an essential part of TB treatment.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Jan 2012
Risk factors for mortality among MDR- and XDR-TB patients in a high HIV prevalence setting.
Recent studies suggest that the prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in sub-Saharan Africa may be rising. This is of concern, as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection in multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB has been associated with exceedingly high mortality rates. ⋯ Mortality due to MDR- and XDR-TB was associated with greater degree of immunosuppression and drug resistance. Efforts to reduce mortality must focus on preventing the amplification of resistance by strengthening TB treatment programs, as well as reducing the pool of immunosuppressed HIV-infected patients through aggressive HIV testing and ART initiation.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Dec 2011
Mycobacterium tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria isolates from HIV-infected patients in Guangxi, China.
Tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of death among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected persons. The prevalence of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in HIV-infected patients in China is unknown. ⋯ The high frequency of NTM among HIV-infected patients raises concerns about accurate species identification before the determination of appropriate treatment. The potential for TB transmission exists among HIV-infected patients. Intensified screening and effective treatment of TB-HIV co-infected patients is urgently needed.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Nov 2011
Evaluation of a rapid assay for identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis grown in solid and liquid media.
An MPT64 antigen detection assay, the SD Bioline TB Ag MPT64 Rapid kit, was evaluated for the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis grown in both solid and liquid media. The rapid test showed positive results in 132 of 133 (99.2%) M. tuberculosis cultures grown on Ogawa medium and 136/143 (95.1%) cultures grown in liquid culture medium, resulting in an overall sensitivity of 97.1%. All 18 non-tuberculous mycobacteria were found to be negative by the rapid test, indicating a specificity of 100%. The rapid test seems useful for the initial confirmation of M. tuberculosis in acidfast bacilli positive cultures.