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. · Nov 2009
Comparative StudyQuantiFERON-TB Gold in the identification of latent tuberculosis infection in rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot study.
To compare the performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G) with that of the tuberculin skin test (TST) in detecting latent tuberculosis (LTBI) among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ⋯ The clinical significance of negative QFT-G in TST-positive patients with low TB risk remains to be assessed. The high rate of indeterminate results questions the clinical utility of QFT-G in the diagnosis of LTBI in RA patients.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Sep 2009
Review Historical ArticleThe value of tuberculosis elimination and of progress in tuberculosis control in twentieth-century England and Wales.
To calculate the monetary value of tuberculosis (TB) elimination and of progress in TB control in twentieth-century England and Wales. ⋯ Such significant results indicating the value of improvements in TB control have important implications for our understanding of these achievements and justify increased spending in developing countries that continue to be plagued by high rates of TB prevalence.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Sep 2009
Comparative StudySensitivity and specificity of fluorescence microscopy for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis in a high HIV prevalence setting.
Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda. ⋯ Although FM increases the sensitivity of sputum smear microscopy, additional data on FM specificity and on the clinical consequences associated with false-positive FM results are needed to guide implementation of this technology in high HIV prevalence settings.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Sep 2009
Surveillance of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the state of Gujarat, India.
Limited information about the prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) has been reported from India, the country with the world's highest burden of TB. We conducted a representative state-wide survey in the state of Gujarat (2005 population: 56 million). ⋯ MDR-TB prevalence remains low among new TB patients in Gujarat, but is more common among previously treated patients. Among MDR-TB isolates, the alarmingly high prevalence of OFX resistance may threaten the success of the expanding efforts to treat and control MDR-TB.