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BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Jun 2024It is not clear whether human progression to active tuberculosis disease (TB) risk signatures are viable endpoint criteria for evaluations of treatments in clinical or...
UNLABELLED
It is not clear whether human progression to active tuberculosis disease (TB) risk signatures are viable endpoint criteria for evaluations of treatments in clinical or preclinical development. TB is the deadliest infectious disease globally and more efficacious vaccines are needed to reduce this mortality. However, the immune correlates of protection for either preventing infection with or preventing TB disease have yet to be completely defined, making the advancement of candidate vaccines through the pipeline slow, costly, and fraught with risk. Human-derived correlate of risk (COR) gene signatures, which identify an individual's risk to progressing to active TB disease, provide an opportunity for evaluating new therapies for TB with clear and defined endpoints. Though prospective clinical trials with longitudinal sampling are prohibitively expensive, characterization of COR gene signatures is practical with preclinical models. Using a 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) approach we reanalyzed heterogeneous publicly available transcriptional datasets to determine whether a specific set of COR signatures are viable endpoints in the preclinical pipeline. We selected RISK6, Sweeney3 and BATF2 human-derived blood-based RNA biosignatures because they require relatively few genes to assign a score and have been carefully evaluated across several clinical cohorts. Excitingly, these data provide proof-of-concept that human COR signatures seem to have high fidelity across several tissue types in the preclinical TB model pipeline and show best performance when the model most closely reflected human infection or disease conditions. Human-derived COR signatures offer an opportunity for high-throughput preclinical endpoint criteria of vaccine and drug therapy evaluations.
ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY
Human-derived biosignatures of tuberculosis disease progression were evaluated for their predictive fidelity across preclinical species and derived tissues using available public data sets.
PubMed: 38948876
DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.21.600067 -
IJID Regions Jun 2024We present a case report about a 26-year-old female with a surgical site infection after bilateral breast augmentation. In a unique approach compared with previously...
We present a case report about a 26-year-old female with a surgical site infection after bilateral breast augmentation. In a unique approach compared with previously reported cases, the patient was successfully treated in an outpatient setting using only orally administered cotrimoxazole (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) and ciprofloxacin with one-sided preservation of the breast prothesis. We also provide a comprehensive overview of all report cases of infections available in the PubMed database until December 2023 and compare the different diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
PubMed: 38947736
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijregi.2024.100378 -
Cureus May 2024Leprosy is a chronic infection of the skin, eyes, and peripheral nerves due to the slow-growing, acid-fast bacillus . Devastating complications include Charcot...
Leprosy is a chronic infection of the skin, eyes, and peripheral nerves due to the slow-growing, acid-fast bacillus . Devastating complications include Charcot neuroarthropathy and insensate hands and feet. We present the case of an 81-year-old female with rheumatoid arthritis and 50 years of polar lepromatous leprosy who suffered from bilateral collapsed arches, flat feet, and bone deformities of Charcot feet.
PubMed: 38947585
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.61362 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2024The Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) region accounts for almost 8% of all global (TB) cases, with TB incidence rates ranging from 1 per 100,000 per year in...
Epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of spp. in the United Arab Emirates: a retrospective analysis of 12 years of national antimicrobial resistance surveillance data.
INTRODUCTION
The Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) region accounts for almost 8% of all global (TB) cases, with TB incidence rates ranging from 1 per 100,000 per year in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to 204 per 100,000 in Djibouti. The national surveillance data from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region on the epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance trends of TB, including MDR-TB remains scarce.
METHODS
A retrospective 12-year analysis of = 8,086 non-duplicate diagnostic complex (MTB complex) isolates from the UAE was conducted. Data were generated through routine patient care during the 2010-2021 years, collected by trained personnel and reported by participating surveillance sites to the UAE National Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Surveillance program. Data analysis was conducted with WHONET, a windows-based microbiology laboratory database management software developed by the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance, Boston, United States (https://whonet.org/).
RESULTS
A total of 8,086 MTB-complex isolates were analyzed. MTB-complex was primarily isolated from respiratory samples (sputum 80.1%, broncho-alveolar lavage 4.6%, pleural fluid 4.1%). Inpatients accounted for 63.2%, including 1.3% from ICU. Nationality was known for 84.3% of patients, including 3.8% Emiratis. Of UAE non-nationals, 80.5% were from 110 countries, most of which were Asian countries. India accounted for 20.8%, Pakistan 13.6%, Philippines 12.7%, and Bangladesh 7.8%. Rifampicin-resistant MTB-complex isolates (RR-TB) were found in 2.8% of the isolates, resistance to isoniazid, streptomycin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, was 8.9, 6.9, 3.4 and 0.4%, respectively. A slightly increasing trend of resistance among MTB-complex was observed for rifampicin from 2.5% (2010) to 2.8% (2021).
CONCLUSION
Infections due to MTB-complex are relatively uncommon in the United Arab Emirates compared to other countries in the MENA region. Most TB patients in the UAE are of Asian origin, mainly from countries with a high prevalence of TB. Resistance to first line anti-tuberculous drugs is generally low, however increasing trends for MDR-TB mainly rifampicin linked resistance is a major concern. MDR-TB was not associated with a higher mortality, admission to ICU, or increased length of hospitalization as compared to non-MDR-TB.
PubMed: 38947352
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1244353 -
Current Tropical Medicine Reports Dec 2023This review aims to elucidate the etiologies of brain abscesses in the tropics. Despite the similarities in causes of brain abscesses across global regions, tropical...
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
This review aims to elucidate the etiologies of brain abscesses in the tropics. Despite the similarities in causes of brain abscesses across global regions, tropical settings manifest distinguishing characteristics, prominently observed on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.
RECENT FINDINGS
In tropical climates, the leading conditions predisposing individuals to brain abscesses are polymicrobial bacterial infections originating from paranasal sinuses, dental sources, and otitis media. However, the tropics present unique etiologies to be aware of, including (Chagas disease), free-living amoebas like , infections from (melioidosis), fungi such as , and . Given the differential diagnoses, which include neoplastic, inflammatory, and demyelinating diseases, a stereotactic biopsy coupled with a microbiological assessment remains valuable for accurate diagnosis.
SUMMARY
In tropical regions, brain abscesses are a concern when confronted with mass-occupying or other types of brain lesions. Successful clinical management of brain abscesses typically combines surgical intervention and extended anti-microbial treatment. However, specific parasitic invasions like Chagas disease, free-living amoebas, and necessitate targeted anti-parasitic therapies. Furthermore, international policy efforts should focus on prevention measures in resource limited regions with heightened risks and disease burden.
PubMed: 38947183
DOI: 10.1007/s40475-023-00306-8 -
MedRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Jun 2024Tongue swabs represent a potential alternative to sputum as a sample type for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) using molecular diagnostic tests. The methods used to...
UNLABELLED
Tongue swabs represent a potential alternative to sputum as a sample type for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) using molecular diagnostic tests. The methods used to process tongue swabs for testing in the WHO-recommended Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) assay vary greatly. We aimed to identify the optimal method for processing diagnostic tongue swabs for subsequent testing by Xpert Ultra. We compared four methods for treating dry tongue swabs with Xpert Ultra sample reagent (SR) mixed with various concentrations of Tris-EDTA-Tween (TET), to treatment with SR alone or to a commonly used SR-free heat-inactivation protocol. In each condition, swabs obtained from volunteers without TB were placed into test buffer spiked with known amounts of ( ) strain H37Rv-mc 6230. Swabs processed with 1:1 diluted SR buffer had the lowest limit of detection (LOD) at 22.7 CFU/700 µl (95% CI 14.2-31.2), followed by 2:1 diluted SR buffer at 30.3 CFU/700 µl (95% CI 19.9-40.7), neat SR at 30.9 CFU/700 µl (95% CI 21.5-40.3) and SR prefilled in the Xpert Ultra at 57.1 CFU/700 µl (95% CI 42.4-71.7). Swabs processed using the heat-based protocol had the highest LOD (77.6 CFU/700 µl; 95% CI 51.2-104.0). Similar findings were observed for LOD of RIF-susceptibility. Assay sensitivity using the 2:1 diluted SR buffer did not vary considerably in the presence of sputum matrix or phosphate buffer saline. Further studies are needed to assess the performance of this processing protocol in a clinical setting.
IMPORTANCE
Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) is approved by the World Health Organization for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). This test is typically performed using sputum specimens obtained from people with presumptive TB. In order to inactivate and aid liquefaction, sputum must be mixed with Xpert SR prior to transfer into the Xpert Ultra. However, some people under evaluation for TB are unable to produce sputum. Alternative sample types for TB diagnosis would therefore be of value. Oral-swabs, including tongue-swabs have shown promise, but there are technical challenges associated with sample processing. In this study, several new tongue swab processing conditions were evaluated, utilizing SR, either neat or diluted in buffer. The ability of Xpert Ultra to detect TB was improved under these conditions compared with the previously published heat-processing method (1-3), processing steps were simplified, and technical challenges were overcome.
PubMed: 38947094
DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.20.24309244 -
MedRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Jun 2024Limited data are available on the diagnostic accuracy of blood RNA biomarker signatures for extrapulmonary TB (EPTB). We addressed this question among people...
BACKGROUND
Limited data are available on the diagnostic accuracy of blood RNA biomarker signatures for extrapulmonary TB (EPTB). We addressed this question among people investigated for TB lymphadenitis and TB pericarditis, in Cape Town, South Africa.
METHODS
We enrolled 440 consecutive adults referred to a hospital for invasive sampling for presumptive TB lymphadenitis (n=300) or presumptive TB pericarditis (n=140). Samples from the site of disease underwent culture and/or molecular testing for complex (Mtb). Discrimination of patients with and without TB defined by microbiology or cytology reference standards was evaluated using seven previously reported blood RNA signatures by area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and sensitivity/specificity at predefined thresholds, benchmarked against blood C-reactive protein (CRP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) target product profile (TPP) for a TB triage test. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical utility of the best performing blood RNA signature and CRP.
RESULTS
Data from 374 patients for whom results were available from at least one microbiological test from the site of disease, and blood CRP and RNA measurements, were included. Using microbiological results as the reference standard in the primary analysis (N=204 with TB), performance was similar across lymphadenitis and pericarditis patients. In the pooled analysis of both cohorts, all RNA signatures had comparable discrimination with AUROC point estimates ranging 0.77-0.82, superior to that of CRP (0.61, 95% confidence interval 0.56-0.67). The best performing signature (Roe3) achieved an AUROC of 0.82 (0.77-0.86). At a predefined threshold of 2 standard deviations (Z2) above the mean of a healthy reference control group, this signature achieved 78% (72-83%) sensitivity and 69% (62-75%) specificity. In this setting, DCA revealed that Roe3 offered greater net benefit than other approaches for services aiming to reduce the number needed to investigate with confirmatory testing to <4 to identify each case of TB.
INTERPRETATION
RNA biomarkers show better accuracy and clinical utility than CRP to trigger confirmatory TB testing in patients with TB lymphadenitis and TB pericarditis, but still fall short of the WHO TPP for TB triage tests.
FUNDING
South African MRC, EDCTP2, NIH/NIAID, Wellcome Trust, NIHR, Royal College of Physicians London.
EVIDENCE BEFORE THIS STUDY
Blood RNA biomarker signatures and CRP measurements have emerged as potential triage tests for TB, but evidence is mostly limited to their performance in pulmonary TB. Microbiological diagnosis of extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) is made challenging by the need for invasive sampling to obtain tissue from the site of disease. This is compounded by lower sensitivity of confirmatory molecular tests for EPTB compared to their performance in pulmonary disease. We performed a systematic review of diagnostic accuracy studies of blood RNA biomarkers or CRP measurements for EPTB, which could mitigate the need for site-of-disease sampling for the diagnosis of TB. We searched PubMed up to 1 August 2023, using the following criteria: "extrapulmonary [title/abstract] AND tuberculosis [title/abstract] AND biomarker [title/abstract]". Although extrapulmonary TB was included in several studies, none focused specifically on EPTB or included an adequate number of EPTB cases to provide precise estimates of test accuracy.
ADDED VALUE OF THIS STUDY
To the best of our knowledge, we report the first diagnostic accuracy study of blood RNA biomarkers and CRP for TB among people with EPTB syndromes. We examined the performance of seven previously identified blood RNA biomarkers as triage tests for TB lymphadenitis and TB pericarditis compared to a microbiology reference standard among people referred to hospital for invasive sampling in a high TB and HIV prevalence setting. Multiple blood RNA biomarkers showed comparable diagnostic accuracy to that previously reported for pulmonary TB in both EPTB disease cohorts, irrespective of HIV status. All seven blood RNA biomarkers showed superior diagnostic accuracy to CRP for both lymphadenitis and pericarditis, but failed to meet the combined >90% sensitivity and >70% specificity recommended for a blood-based diagnostic triage test by WHO. Nonetheless, in decision curve analysis, an approach of using the best performing blood RNA biomarker to trigger confirmatory microbiological testing showed superior clinical utility in clinical services seeking to reduce the number needed to test (using invasive confirmatory testing) to less than 4 for each EPTB case detected. If acceptable to undertake invasive testing in more than 4 people for each true case detected, then a test-all approach will provide greater net benefit in this TB/HIV hyperendemic setting.
IMPLICATIONS OF ALL THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE
Blood RNA biomarkers show some potential as diagnostic triage tests for TB lymphadenitis and TB pericarditis, but do not provide the level of accuracy for blood-based triage tests recommended by WHO for community-based tests. CRP has inferior diagnostic accuracy to blood RNA biomarkers and cannot be recommended for diagnostic triage among people with EPTB syndromes referred for invasive sampling.
PubMed: 38946942
DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.21.24309099 -
Development and evaluation of a triplex droplet digital PCR method for differentiation of , and BCG.Frontiers in Microbiology 2024Tuberculosis, caused by complex (MTBC), remains a global health concern in both human and animals. However, the absence of rapid, accurate, and highly sensitive...
INTRODUCTION
Tuberculosis, caused by complex (MTBC), remains a global health concern in both human and animals. However, the absence of rapid, accurate, and highly sensitive detection methods to differentiate the major pathogens of MTBC, including , , and BCG, poses a potential challenge.
METHODS
In this study, we have established a triplex droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) method employing three types of probe fluorophores, with targets (targeting CFP-10-ESAT-6 gene of RD1 and Rv0222 genes of RD4), (targeting CFP-10-ESATs-6 gene of RD1), and BCG (targeting Rv3871 and Rv3879c genes of ΔRD1), respectively.
RESULTS
Based on optimization of annealing temperature, sensitivity and repeatability, this method demonstrates a lower limit of detection (LOD) as 3.08 copies/reaction for , 4.47 copies/reaction for and 3.59 copies/reaction for BCG, without cross-reaction to , , , , , , , , and , and showed repeatability with coefficients of variation (CV) lower than 10%. The method exhibits strong milk sample tolerance, the LOD of detecting in spike milk was 5 × 10 CFU/mL, which sensitivity is ten times higher than the triplex qPCR. 60 clinical DNA samples, including 20 milk, 20 tissue and 20 swab samples, were kept in China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center were tested by the triplex ddPCR and triplex qPCR. The triplex ddPCR presented a higher sensitivity (11.67%, 7/60) than that of the triplex qPCR method (8.33%, 5/60). The positive rates of , , and BCG were 1.67, 10, and 0% by triplex ddPCR, and 1.67, 6.67, and 0% by triplex qPCR, with coincidence rates of 100, 96.7, and 100%, respectively.
DISCUSSION
Our data demonstrate that the established triplex ddPCR method is a sensitive, specific and rapid method for differentiation and identification of , , and BCG.
PubMed: 38946908
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1397792 -
Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and... Jul 2024Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern in the developing countries. Moreover, the emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is challenging. However,...
BACKGROUND
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern in the developing countries. Moreover, the emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is challenging. However, there are no organized data on the trends of pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the study area.
METHODS
A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to fill the information gap in Central Tigray at St. Mary General Hospital between 2018 and 2023. Data were collected from the GeneXpert™ tuberculosis registration logbooks using standard checklists and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science version 22. After performing logistic regression, a p-value < 0.05 with a corresponding 95% confidence interval was considered statistically significant. Moreover, chi square test for trend was performed to assess the percentage of annual detection of pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis during the study years.
RESULT
Presumptive pulmonary tuberculosis patients with complete data (n = 3696) were included in the study. The overall prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis was 11.7%, of which 8.1% were resistant to rifampicin. The study revealed that the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis has been increasing, mainly in the recent four years. Likewise, an increase in rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis was observed with considerable fluctuations. Age, human immunodeficiency virus infection, and presumptive rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection were significantly associated with the presence of pulmonary tuberculosis. Moreover, pulmonary tuberculosis was more prevalent among participants in the productive-age group.
CONCLUSION
Although there have been fluctuations, an increasing of pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been observed in recent years. Hence, prevention and treatment strategies for tuberculosis should be strengthened to alleviate the burden of pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the study area.
PubMed: 38946006
DOI: 10.1186/s40794-024-00224-1 -
American Journal of Infection Control Jun 2024The mounted UV-C lamp requires no separate space or labor for transport, but data on its effectiveness for surface disinfection are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the...
BACKGROUND
The mounted UV-C lamp requires no separate space or labor for transport, but data on its effectiveness for surface disinfection are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the performance of ceiling-mounted UV-C lamps.
METHODS
This study was conducted in an empty room with UV-C lamps in the biocontainment unit of a tertiary care hospital in South Korea. UV-C lamps were installed on the ceiling of the patient room, anteroom, and toilet. Each pathogen (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida krusei, Bacillus cereus, and Mycobacterium peregrinum) was inoculated on blood agar plates and placed in 20 selected places from the UV-C lamp, and irradiation was applied for 15 min. As a control group, the bacterial solution was diluted 10,000 times and UV was not applied.
RESULTS
A mean ± SD of 5.95 ± 0.91 log reduction was observed with UV irradiation compared with the control. The log reduction was greatest for S. aureus [median, 7.05 (IQR, 6.49-7.26)] and least for M. peregrinum [median, 4.88 (IQR, 4.58-5.24)]. The degree of log reduction was inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the UV-C lamp (R = -0.12, p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
In this study, ceiling-mounted UV-C demonstrated effective disinfection of at least 4-log reduction of the test organisms within a 4-m distance. Mounted UV-C lighting is a considerable option for improving surface disinfection.
PubMed: 38945300
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2024.06.020