8 New Insights into Tuberculosis
USPSTF recommendations for TB screening in primary care and a challenge to the 2-state TB paradigm are some of the latest.
Tuberculosis Research Updates for Primary Care
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends primary care screening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in populations at increased risk.
The USPSTF reviewed the evidence about targeted screening and treatment for LTBI among adults in primary care settings to support updating its 1996 recommendation.
TB is now the leading cause of death linked to a single pathogen. Related deaths now exceed those attributable to HIV (1.5 vs 1.2 million in 2014).
Poor understanding of and lack of tools to predict who will progress from LTBI to active TB pose major challenges to TB control screening, and treatment of LTBI.
Recent findings challenge the conventional 2-state TB paradigm-latent infection and active disease-and may aid in identification of biomarkers.
Data support the hypothesis that currently unknown genetic determinants, potentially discoverable by whole-genome sequencing, encode resistance to second-line TB drugs.
The HIV epidemic amplifies TB outbreaks by providing a reservoir of susceptible hosts, but HIV co-infection is not a direct driver of resistant strains.
Impact of community-based treatment was compared with that of traditional hospitalization for multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug resistant TB in the 27 high burden countries.
Top tuberculosis headlines: USPSTF recommends TB screening in primary care, more LTBI understanding needed, a challenge to the conventional 2-state TB paradigm, HIV co-infection amplifies but does not drive TB-these are just a few of the more significant recent research findings.Click through the slides above for highlights. Sources1. TB Screening Recommended in Primary Care2. Primary Care TB Screening Review3. Key Facts About the TB Pathogen and Mortality4. More LTBI Understanding Needed5. A Challenge to the Conventional 2-State TB Paradigm6. Mycobacterium TB Genetics and Diagnostics7. HIV Co-infection Amplifies But Does Not Drive TB8. Community-based Treatment vs Hospitalization for TB
