scholarly journals 1376. Physician Practice Patterns for Screening and Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection in the South Asian Population in Central New Jersey

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S499-S500
Author(s):  
Nupur Gulati ◽  
Sri Ram Pentakota ◽  
Kristina N Feja ◽  
Bishakha Ghoshal ◽  
Rajita Bhavaraju ◽  
...  

Abstract Background New Jersey (NJ) has a significant burden of tuberculosis (TB) cases (ranked 8th in the United States) and 22% of the cases are among foreign-born (FB) individuals. We have approximately 33% FB residents in our targeted counties in Central NJ of whom 43% are originally from high TB burden areas of South Asia. Central NJ is home to the county with the second highest TB case rate in NJ. Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) treatment remains a key component of the World Health Organization TB elimination strategy. We sought to survey community physicians about their LTBI screening and treatment practices in South Asian (SA) patients. Methods An IRB-approved anonymous survey was distributed online to practicing staff physicians at local hospitals over a 2-month period. The primary outcome measure was whether physicians appropriately screen for LTBI. A secondary outcome measure was whether follow-up after medication initiation was provided. Predictors measured included: age, gender, self -identification of physician as SA, years in practice, and if they were a foreign medical graduate (FMG). Descriptive statistics were provided using counts and proportions. Chi-square tests were used for bivariate analyses to look for factors associated with LTBI screening and treatment. Results A total of 218 physicians responded to the survey; of whom, 137 identified themselves as primary care physicians (i.e., pediatrics (62%), internal medicine (30%), or family medicine (8%)). About half of them were FMG and 40% identify themselves as SA. Three out of four of these physicians (n = 101) indicated they routinely screen their patients for LTBI. Bivariate analyses using chi-square did not find any statistically significant associations with LTBI screening. A quarter of the physicians screened with an IGRA and 60% reported always offering treatment for LTBI. Isoniazid was the most common medication prescribed. A majority of respondents did not report prescribing Rifampin or Rifapentine. Follow-up after initiation of treatment was provided at least every other month by 52.7% of physicians. Conclusion There is wide variability in LTBI screening, treatment, and follow-up among our physician sample. Physicians have not yet adopted newer treatment regimens suggesting the need for an educational intervention. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 857.1-857
Author(s):  
C. Pávez Perales ◽  
A. Quiles Roger ◽  
E. Grau García ◽  
M. De la Rubia Navarro ◽  
S. Leal Rodriguez ◽  
...  

Background:Patients with rheumatic diseases (RD) are at higher risk of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) reactivation. To detect and treat it before starting treatment, especially with biological therapies, decrease the reactivation risk. Diagnosis is carried out by the tuberculin skin test (TST) or interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs), IGRAs might be more specific and sensitive.Objectives:We aim to analyze the concordance between QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QTF) and TST for the diagnosis of LTBI in patients with rheumatic diseases.Methods:A retrospective observational study was conducted including patients diagnosed with RD screened for LTBI with both TST and QTF (2014-2018). Demographical and clinical variables at screening and at follow-up were collected. The concordance between both tests has been estimated as categorical variables using Cohen´s Kappa test, considering “poor” if it is ≤ 0,20; “low” if 0,20 < k ≤ 0,40, “moderate” if 0,40 < k ≤ 0,60, “substantial” if 0,60 < k ≤ 0,80 and “optimal” if k > 0,80.Results:167 patients were included (57% women) with a mean age of 52±16 years. 42% of them had systemic autoimmune diseases, 22% spondyloarthropathies and 36% other RD. 2 had history of past active tuberculosis (TB). At the time of screening, 46.11% were treated with GC.LTBI was diagnosed in 35 patients: 15 had both QTF and TST positive, 16 only QTF positive and 4 only TST positive. 12 from 31 QTF positive patients were treated with GC at the time of screening. 3 from 19 TST positive patients were treated with GC at the time of screening.After LTBI screening 62 patients received biological treatment, 4 of them had both test positive, 6 only QTF positive and 2 only TST positive. 11 received LTBI treatment according to the hospital protocol (isoniazid for 6 to 9 months). 10 completed treatment, 1 did not because of intolerance and did not receive other treatment. 1 patient with only TST positive was considered a false positive and did not receive treatment. During follow-up no TB reactivation was reported.23 patients with LBTI received treatment other than biological therapy during follow-up, of them 8 received LBTI treatment. There was no TB reactivation during follow up.The Kappa concordance between QTF and TST was estimated: moderated in the whole sample, poor in the patients treated with GC at screening, and substantial when the patients treated with GC at screening were excluded. Results are shown in Table 1.Table 1.Kappa concordance between QTF and TST.Conclusion:QTF seems to be the most appropriate LTBI screening test in patients with RD treated with GC. Screening and treatment of LTBI in patients with RD treated with or without biological agents was effective in reducing TB reactivation.Disclosure of Interests:None declared.


2002 ◽  
Vol 162 (9) ◽  
pp. 1044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Castle White ◽  
Jacqueline P. Tulsky ◽  
Joe Goldenson ◽  
Carmen J. Portillo ◽  
Masae Kawamura ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
James O’Connell ◽  
Eoghan de Barra ◽  
Samuel McConkey

AbstractThe World Health Organisation (WHO) End Tuberculosis (TB) Strategy and the WHO Framework Towards Tuberculosis Elimination in Low Incidence Countries state that latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening and treatment in selected high-risk groups is a priority action to eliminate TB. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) advises that this should be done through high-quality programmatic management, which they describe as having six key components. The research aim was to systematically review the literature to identify what is known about the epidemiology of LTBI and the uptake and completion of LTBI screening and treatment in Ireland to inform the programmatic management of LTBI nationally. A systematic literature review was performed according to a review protocol and reported in adherence with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. Twenty-eight studies were eligible for inclusion and described LTBI screening or treatment performed in one of five contexts, pre-biologic or other immunosuppression screening, people living with HIV, TB case contacts, other vulnerable populations, or healthcare workers. The risk of bias across studies with regard to prevalence of LTBI was generally high. One study reported a complete cascade of LTBI care from screening initiation to treatment completion. This systematic review has described what published research there is on the epidemiology and cascade of LTBI care in Ireland and identified knowledge gaps. A strategy for addressing these knowledge gaps has been proposed.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e023412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brita Askeland Winje ◽  
Gry Marysol Grøneng ◽  
Richard Aubrey White ◽  
Peter Akre ◽  
Preben Aavitsland ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo estimate the number needed to screen (NNS) and the number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent one tuberculosis (TB) case in the Norwegian immigrant latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening programme and to explore the effect of delay of LTBI treatment initiation.DesignPopulation-based, prospective cohort study.ParticipantsImmigrants to Norway.OutcomeIncident TB.MethodsWe obtained aggregated data on immigration to Norway in 2008–2011 and used data from the Norwegian Surveillance System for Infectious Diseases to assess the number of TB cases arising in this cohort within 5 years after arrival. We calculated the average NNS and NNT for immigrants from the top 10 source countries for TB in Norway and by estimated TB incidence rates in source countries. We explored the sensitivity of these estimates with regard to test performance, treatment efficacy and treatment adherence using an extreme value approach, and assessed the effects of emigration, time to TB diagnosis (to define incident TB) and intervention timing.ResultsNNS and NNT were overall high, with substantial variation. NNT showed numerically stronger negative correlation with TB notification rate in Norway (−0.75 [95% CI −1.00 to −0.44]) than with the WHO incidence rate (IR) (−0.32 [95% CI −0.93 to 0.29]). NNT was affected substantially by emigration and the definition of incident TB. Estimates were lowest for Somali (NNS 99 [70–150], NNT 27 [19–41]) and highest for Thai immigrants (NNS 585 [413–887], NNT 111 [79–116]). Implementing LTBI treatment in immigrants sooner after arrival may improve the effectiveness of the programme.ConclusionUsing TB notifications in Norway, rather than IR in source countries, would improve targeting of immigrants for LTBI management. However, the overall high NNT is a concern and challenges the scale-up of preventive LTBI treatment for significant public health impact. Better data are urgently needed to monitor and evaluate NNS and NNT in countries implementing LTBI screening.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping-Huai Wang ◽  
Shu-Yung Lin ◽  
Susan Shih-Jung Lee ◽  
Shu-Wen Lin ◽  
Chih-Yuan Lee ◽  
...  

AbstractA significantly negative reversion in the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-tube (QFT-GIT) test is reported in patients on dialysis, which makes the results unreliable. The CD4 and CD8 responses of the QFT-Gold plus (QFT-Plus) may have better positive consistency, but this needs to be investigated. We enrolled dialysis patients with baseline positive QFT-GIT0 results and conducted two rounds of follow-up paired QFT-GIT1&2 and QFT-Plus1&2 tests at an interval of 6 months. The positive consistency, concordance, and discordance of the QFT results were analyzed. A total of 236 patients on dialysis were screened, and 73 participants with positive QFT-GIT0 results were enrolled. The baseline QFT-GIT0 response was higher in the 1st QFT-Plus1(+) group than in the QFT-Plus1(−) group, but insignificantly different between the 1st QFT-GIT1(+) and QFT-GIT1(−) groups. The two assays had good correlation when concurrently tested. Fifty-three subjects completed a second round of the QFT-GIT2 and QFT-Plus2. Persistent positivity was higher with the QFT-Plus2 (81.8%) than with the QFT-GIT2 (58.8%, p = 0.040). The QFT-GIT1 and QFT-Plus1 CD4 responses were higher in patients with persistent positivity than in those with negative reversion, whereas the difference of the QFT-Plus TB1 and TB2 data, representative of the CD8 response, were similar between positive persistence and negative reversion. In conclusion, the QFT-Plus provides more reliable positive consistency than does the QFT-GIT. The CD4 interferon-γ response might play a role in maintaining positivity of LTBI.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allyson Guimaraes Costa ◽  
Brenda K.S. Carvalho ◽  
Mariana Araujo-Pereira ◽  
Hiochelson N.S. Ibiapina ◽  
Renata Spener-Gomes ◽  
...  

Background: Interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) has emerged as a useful tool in identifying latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). This assay can be performed through testing platforms, such as QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus). This in vitro test has been incorporated by several guidelines worldwide and has recently been considered for the diagnosis of LTBI by the World Health Organization (WHO). The possibility of systematically implementing IGRAs such as QFT-Plus in centers that perform LTBI screening has been accelerated by the decreased availability of tuberculin skin testing (TST) in several countries. Nevertheless, the process to implement IGRA testing in routine clinical care has many gaps. Methods: The study utilized the expertise acquired by the laboratory teams of the Regional Prospective Observational Research in Tuberculosis (RePORT)-Brazil consortium during study protocol implementation of LTBI screening of TB close contacts. Results: RePORT-Brazil includes clinical research sites from Brazilian cities and is the largest multicenter cohort of TB close contacts to date in the country. Operational and logistical challenges faced during IGRA implementation in all four study laboratories are described, as well as the solutions that were developed and led to the successful establishment of IGRA testing in RePORT-Brazil. Conclusions: The problems identified and resolved in this study can assist laboratories implementing IGRAs, in addition to manufacturers of IGRAs providing effective technical support. This will facilitate the implementation of IGRA testing in countries with a high TB burden, such as Brazil.


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