Increasing tuberculosis burden in Latin America: an alarming trend for global control efforts

Rheumatoid arthritis in Latin America: pharmacotherapy and clinical challenges

INTRODUCTION

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) presents significant healthcare challenges in Latin America (LA) due to its high prevalence and unique healthcare dynamics. Despite global advancements, LA faces specific hurdles in managing RA effectively.

AREAS COVERED

This manuscript reviews the epidemiology, pharmacotherapies, and clinical challenges of RA in LA. RA prevalence varies, with higher rates in indigenous populations. Treatment guidelines recommend conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) as first-line therapy, but access is inconsistent. Biologics, and targeted synthetic DMARDs, are available in most LA countries, though biosimilars are less accessible, with significant variations in drug prices. Barriers to treatment include supply interruptions, diagnosis delays, and high non-adherence rates linked to socioeconomic factors. The severe shortage of rheumatologists, especially in rural areas, impacts patient outcomes. Cardiovascular events and, other comorbidities and endemic infections, further complicate RA management in LA.

EXPERT OPINION

LA has seen improvements in RA management with better use of csDMARDs, treat-to-target strategies, and advanced treatments. However, challenges remain, including the shortage of rheumatologists, limited continuous medical education, endemic infections, and fragmented healthcare systems. Addressing these issues requires expanding training programs, leveraging telemedicine, and ensuring consistent drug supply. Enhancing clinical research and local data information and improving access to affordable treatments are crucial for better patient outcomes. Comprehensive, region-specific strategies are needed to bridge the gap between LA and more developed regions in RA care.

Research priorities and trends in pulmonary tuberculosis in Latin America: A bibliometric analysis

Tuberculosis (TB) poses a significant global public health challenge, particularly in developing countries. Over the years, scientific research has played a pivotal role in addressing this disease. In this study, we aimed to analyze and outline the trends in scientific output on TB and identify research priorities in Latin America (LA) from 1990 to 2021. Scientific production was analyzed, and the number of publications, financing sources, and journal characteristics were evaluated. Collaboration networks and keywords were visualized using mapping analysis with VOSviewer software. Research themes were prioritized by country based on co-occurrence frequency. In total, 4399 documents were identified, a significant trend was evident in the number of publications per year (R2 = 0.981), and research substantially contributed to the reduction of TB-related mortality (R2 = -0.876). Most publications were original articles (83.8 %). The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease had the highest publication and citation rates per document. International collaboration was predominantly with the United States, France, and Canada. Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico had the highest number of publications and external collaborations. In LA, interest in researching studies related to treatment and diagnosis (32.5 %) was notably high, followed by epidemiology and screening (26.9 %). Among the 20 countries in LA, research priorities varied, with the highest emphasis on HIV/AIDS (14/20), epidemiology (9/20), anti-TB agents (6/20), and mortality (5/20). TB resistance was only considered a research priority in Brazil, Peru, and Haiti. Therefore, LA experienced significant growth in its scientific output, playing a crucial role in TB control. Strategic adaptation to the region's specific challenges was observed, particularly in HIV/AIDS coinfection, epidemiological studies, and drug resistance. This progress was achieved by outstanding international scientific collaboration. This holistic approach emphasizes the importance of research in the fight against TB in LA.

Pediatric tuberculosis in Mexico: A retrospective analysis of 100 patients

Background

Analyzing the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of pediatric tuberculosis in endemic regions is crucial to meet the goal of ending tuberculosis. The objective was to assess the various clinical scenarios of tuberculosis in a large pediatric cohort in Mexico.

Methods

This retrospective study from a pediatric referral center in Mexico included patients diagnosed with tuberculosis from 2012 to 2021. We analyzed clinical data and diagnostic study results, including demographic characteristics, underlying medical conditions, BCG vaccination, clinical presentation, imaging findings, microbiologic data, treatment, and clinical outcomes. Basic descriptive statistics and Chi-squared analysis were performed to summarize the metadata of pediatric patients with different clinical presentations of tuberculosis and evaluate their association with mortality, respectively.

Results

A total of 100 patients were included with a mean age of 7.76 years ± 1.49 years. The most prevalent clinical presentation was pulmonary tuberculosis (n = 51). Only 51 patients were immunized with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine. The most commons symptoms were fever, cough and weight loss. Among patients with meningeal tuberculosis (n = 14), the most common clinical signs were seizures, fever, and vomiting. Cure was achieved in 52 patients, 12 patients died, and 36 continue in treatment. Clinical presentation of tuberculosis (p-value = 0.009) and immunodeficiency (p-value = 0.015) were significantly associated with mortality.

Conclusions

Increasing the visibility of tuberculosis is imperative to end this disease. We report relevant clinical data of a large pediatric tuberculosis cohort, stratified by the different forms of disease. A high index of suspicion of tuberculosis is required for a timely diagnosis and treatment initiation, particularly among immunocompromised individuals, in whom mortality is higher.

Case series of complicated bronchopulmonary lophomoniasis. Differential diagnosis of tuberculosis?

Pulmonary lophomoniasis is a rare and life-threatening disease, most commonly reported across Asian and Latin American countries. Here, we have reported two cases of pulmonary lophomoniasis presenting with atypical manifestations. Case #1 represents a 19-year-old male patient with clinical characteristics suggestive of tuberculosis, presenting with hemoptysis and receiving antituberculosis treatment. Case #2 represents a 69-year-old man with post-tuberculosis pulmonary disease with cystic bronchiectasis presenting with polymicrobial co-infection. Based on our case experience, lophomoniasis should be considered in patients with pneumonia who do not respond to antibiotic treatment, and the corresponding epidemiological factors should be carefully considered in addition to bronchoscopy for precise diagnosis.

Pre-extensively drug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in Latin America and the Caribbean: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The growing threat from pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (pre-XDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) poses a major public health concern in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Therefore, this study aimed to summarize the available evidence on the prevalence of pre-XDR-TB and XDR-TB among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in LAC.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted in the following databases on June 3, 2023: PubMed, Scopus, Ovid Medline, Web of Science, Scielo and LILACS. We estimated pooled proportions using a random effects model (Dersimonian and Laird). The 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using the binomial exact method (Clopper-Pearson Method). Subgroup (by time period and country) and sensitivity analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine studies were eligible for qualitative synthesis and 27 for meta-analysis (n = 15,565). The pooled prevalence of XDR-TB in the study participants was 5% (95% CI: 3%-6%), while that of pre-XDR-TB was 10% (95% CI 7%-14%). Cuba (6%, 95% CI 0%-17%) and Peru (6%, 95% CI 5%-7%) had the highest pooled prevalence of XDR-TB. Regarding pre-XDR-TB, Brazil (16%, 95% CI 11%-22%) and Peru (13%, 95% CI: 9%-16%) showed the highest prevalence.

CONCLUSIONS

The pooled prevalence of pre-XDR-TB and XDR-TB in LAC was 10% and 5%, respectively. Governments should strengthen drug-resistance surveillance and TB programs.

A first insight into tuberculosis transmission at the border of Ecuador and Colombia: a retrospective study of the population structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Esmeraldas province

Objective

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern in Ecuador and Colombia, considering that both countries are high-burden TB settings. Molecular epidemiology is crucial to understand the transmission dynamics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and to identify active transmission clusters of regional importance.

Methods

We studied the potential transmission of TB between Colombia and Ecuador through the analysis of the population structure of MTBC lineages circulating in the Ecuadorian province of Esmeraldas at the border with Colombia. A total of 105 MTBC strains were characterized by 24-loci MIRU-VNTR and spoligotyping.

Results

MTBC lineage 4 is only present in Esmeraldas; no MTBC strains belonging to Lineage 2-sublineage Beijing were found despite its presence in other provinces of Ecuador and, in Colombia. Genotyping results revealed a high degree of diversity for MTBC in Esmeraldas: Neither active transmission clusters within this province nor including MTBC strains from Colombia or other provinces of Ecuador were found.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that tuberculosis dynamics in this rural and isolated area may be not related to highly transmitted strains but could be influenced by other health determinants that favor TB relapse such as poverty and poor health system access. Further studies including a larger number of MTBC strains from Esmeraldas are necessary to test this hypothesis.

Tuberculosis presentation and outcomes in older Hispanic adults from Tamaulipas, Mexico

Older people are at high risk of developing and dying from pulmonary infections like tuberculosis (TB), but there are few studies among them, particularly in Hispanics. To address these gaps, we sought to identify host factors associated with TB and adverse treatment outcomes in older Hispanics by conducting a cross-sectional study of TB surveillance data from Tamaulipas, Mexico (2006-2013; n = 8381). Multivariable logistic regressions were assessed for older adults (OA ≥65 years) when compared to young (YA, 18-39 years) and middle-aged adults (40-64 years). We found that the OA had features associated with a less complicated TB (e.g., lower prevalence of extra-pulmonary TB and less likely to abandon treatment or have drug resistant TB), and yet, were more likely to die during TB treatment (adj-OR 3.9, 95% 2.5, 5.25). Among the OA, excess alcohol use and low body mass index increased their odds of death during TB treatment, while a higher number of reported contacts (social support) was protective. Diabetes was not associated with adverse outcomes in OA. Although older age is a predictor of death during TB disease, OA are not prioritized by the World Health Organization for latent TB infection screening and treatment during contact investigations. With safer, short-course latent TB infection treatment available, we propose the inclusion of OA as a high-risk group in latent TB management guidelines.

Pericardial Disease in the Developing World

Pericardial disease in the developing world is dominated primarily by effusive and constrictive syndromes and contributes to the acute and chronic heart failure burden in many regions. The confluence of geography (location in the tropics), a significant burden of diseases of poverty and neglect, and a significant contribution of communicable diseases to the general burden of disease is reflected in the wide etiological spectrum of causes of pericardial disease. The prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in particular, is high throughout much of the developing world where it is the most frequent and important cause of pericarditis and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Acute viral/idiopathic pericarditis, which is the primary manifestation of pericardial disease in the developed world is believed to occur significantly less frequently in the developing world. Although diagnostic approaches and criteria to establish the diagnosis of pericardial disease are similar throughout the globe, resource constraints such as access to multimodality imaging and hemodynamic assessment are a major limitation in much of the developing world. These important considerations significantly influence the diagnostic and treatment approaches, and outcomes related to pericardial disease.

Transmission Dynamics of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Outbreak in an Indigenous Population in the Colombian Amazon Region

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has become the main tool for studying the transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) strains; however, the clonal expansion of one strain often limits its application in local MTBC outbreaks. The use of an alternative reference genome and the inclusion of repetitive regions in the analysis could potentially increase the resolution, but the added value has not yet been defined. Here, we leveraged short and long WGS read data of a previously reported MTBC outbreak in the Colombian Amazon Region to analyze possible transmission chains among 74 patients in the indigenous setting of Puerto Nariño (March to October 2016). In total, 90.5% (67/74) of the patients were infected with one distinct MTBC strain belonging to lineage 4.3.3. Employing a reference genome from an outbreak strain and highly confident single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in repetitive genomic regions, e.g., the proline-glutamic acid/proline-proline-glutamic-acid (PE/PPE) gene family, increased the phylogenetic resolution compared to a classical H37Rv reference mapping approach. Specifically, the number of differentiating SNPs increased from 890 to 1,094, which resulted in a more granular transmission network as judged by an increasing number of individual nodes in a maximum parsimony tree, i.e., 5 versus 9 nodes. We also found in 29.9% (20/67) of the outbreak isolates, heterogenous alleles at phylogenetically informative sites, suggesting that these patients are infected with more than one clone. In conclusion, customized SNP calling thresholds and employment of a local reference genome for a mapping approach can improve the phylogenetic resolution in highly clonal MTBC populations and help elucidate within-host MTBC diversity. IMPORTANCE The Colombian Amazon around Puerto Nariño has a high tuberculosis burden with a prevalence of 1,267/100,000 people in 2016. Recently, an outbreak of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) bacteria among the indigenous populations was identified with classical MTBC genotyping methods. Here, we employed a whole-genome sequencing-based outbreak investigation in order to improve the phylogenetic resolution and gain new insights into the transmission dynamics in this remote Colombian Amazon Region. The inclusion of well-supported single nucleotide polymorphisms in repetitive regions and a de novo-assembled local reference genome provided a more granular picture of the circulating outbreak strain and revealed new transmission chains. Multiple patients from different settlements were possibly infected with at least two different clones in this high-incidence setting. Thus, our results have the potential to improve molecular surveillance studies in other high-burden settings, especially regions with few clonal multidrug-resistant (MDR) MTBC lineages/clades.

Tuberculosis in Prisons: Importance of Considering the Clustering in the Analysis of Cross-Sectional Studies

The level of clustering and the adjustment by cluster-robust standard errors have yet to be widely considered and reported in cross-sectional studies of tuberculosis (TB) in prisons. In two cross-sectional studies of people deprived of liberty (PDL) in Medellin, we evaluated the impact of adjustment versus failure to adjust by clustering on prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). We used log-binomial regression, Poisson regression, generalized estimating equations (GEE), and mixed-effects regression models. We used cluster-robust standard errors and bias-corrected standard errors. The odds ratio (OR) was 20% higher than the PR when the TB prevalence was >10% in at least one of the exposure factors. When there are three levels of clusters (city, prison, and courtyard), the cluster that had the strongest effect was the courtyard, and the 95% CI estimated with GEE and mixed-effect models were narrower than those estimated with Poisson and binomial models. Exposure factors lost their significance when we used bias-corrected standard errors due to the smaller number of clusters. Tuberculosis transmission dynamics in prisons dictate a strong cluster effect that needs to be considered and adjusted for. The omission of cluster structure and bias-corrected by the small number of clusters can lead to wrong inferences.

A Case of Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) Tuberculosis and HIV Co-Infection

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) infection is a public health concern in the United States. Mycobacterium tuberculosisantimicrobial resistance is a global public health concern. We present a case of a young man from Venezuela who presented to a hospital in New York and was newly diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and syphilis. His TB isolate was found to be resistant to multiple anti-TB drugs, presenting unusual challenges in treating multidrug-resistant TB with HIV co-infection.

[Pillars and lines of action for integrated and people- and community-centered health systemsPilares e linhas de ação para sistemas integrados de saúde centrados nas pessoas e nas comunidades]

This paper presents the position of the Latin American working group of the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC). The working group brings together various Latin American actors and organizations in support of actions that facilitate the transformation of health systems in the region towards integrated systems that focus on people not as isolated individuals but as subjects of law in the complex social and environmental contexts where they live and interact. The working group proposes nine pillars of integrated care to be used as a conceptual framework for policy development and changes in practices: 1) shared vision and values; 2) population health; 3) people and communities as partners; 4) resilient communities; 5) capacities of human resources for health; 6) governance and leadership; 7) digital solutions; 8) aligned payment systems; and 9) public transparency. Based on these pillars, lines of work are proposed to strengthen alliances and networks, advocacy, research, and capacity-building, in order to help develop health and social systems that are effectively integrated and focused not only on people but also on communities in Latin America.

Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic to Strengthen TB Infection Control: A Rapid Review

In light of competing health priorities of COVID-19 and TB, we propose recommendations to strengthen health system preparedness for optimal TB control across low- and middle-income countries during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction:

Over the past 5 years, substantial global investment has resulted in reduced TB incidence rates by 9% and mortality rates by 14%. However, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has hindered access and availability of TB services to maintain robust TB control. The objective of this rapid review was to describe the challenges to be addressed and recommendations to strengthen health system preparedness for optimal TB control across low- and middle-income countries during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

Five databases were used to systematically search for relevant articles published in 2020. The 5-step framework proposed by Arskey and O'Malley and adapted by Levac et al. guided the review process. Thematic analysis with grounded theory principles was used to summarize themes from selected articles and integrate analyses with barriers reported from authors' previous TB research.

Results:

Of the 218 peer-reviewed articles, 20 articles met the inclusion criteria. Four emerging themes described challenges: (1) unprepared health system leadership and infrastructure, (2) coexisting health priorities, (3) insufficient health care workforce support for continued training and appropriate workplace environments, and (4) weak connections to primary health centers hindering community engagement. Four recommendations were highlighted: (1) ensuring leadership and governance for sustainable national health budgets, (2) building networks of community stakeholders, (3) supporting health care workforce training and safe workplace environments, and (4) using digital health interventions for TB care.

Conclusions:

National health systems must promote patient-centered TB care, implement ethical community interventions, support operational research, and integrate appropriate eHealth applications. TB program managers and primary care practitioners can serve as instrumental leaders and patient advocates to deliver high-quality and sustainable TB care that leads to achieving the targets of the End TB Strategy.

Resurgence of tuberculosis amid COVID-19 in Peru: Associated risk factors and recommendations

Peru is one of the countries with the highest incidence of tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the world. Although public health measures adopted in the country have improved the care, diagnosis and management of patients with tuberculosis, there are still failures in the control of the disease in the country, especially of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and among the prison population or people living with HIV. The COVID-19 pandemic has added a great burden to the Peruvian public health system, negatively impacting tuberculosis-focused health programs due to the diversion of resources to control the pandemic. Consequently, combat measures, epidemiological surveillance of tuberculosis cases were affected, and data point to an increase in the number of cases, especially of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and to the underdiagnosis of the disease. To deal with this problem and avoid a future catastrophe for the country's health system, multidisciplinary measures involving the population, health professionals and government bodies are needed. It is essential that education, diagnosis, contact screening and treatment programs are prioritised and given greater financial support. Furthermore, it is necessary to raise awareness in the population about the need for isolation and maintenance of treatment, especially among the most vulnerable populations.

Benchmarking Machine Learning Models to Assist in the Prognosis of Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne infectious disease caused by organisms in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) complex. In many low and middle-income countries, TB remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Once a patient has been diagnosed with TB, it is critical that healthcare workers make the most appropriate treatment decision given the individual conditions of the patient and the likely course of the disease based on medical experience. Depending on the prognosis, delayed or inappropriate treatment can result in unsatisfactory results including the exacerbation of clinical symptoms, poor quality of life, and increased risk of death. This work benchmarks machine learning models to aid TB prognosis using a Brazilian health database of confirmed cases and deaths related to TB in the State of Amazonas. The goal is to predict the probability of death by TB thus aiding the prognosis of TB and associated treatment decision making process. In its original form, the data set comprised 36,228 records and 130 fields but suffered from missing, incomplete, or incorrect data. Following data cleaning and preprocessing, a revised data set was generated comprising 24,015 records and 38 fields, including 22,876 reported cured TB patients and 1139 deaths by TB. To explore how the data imbalance impacts model performance, two controlled experiments were designed using (1) imbalanced and (2) balanced data sets. The best result is achieved by the Gradient Boosting (GB) model using the balanced data set to predict TB-mortality, and the ensemble model composed by the Random Forest (RF), GB and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) models is the best model to predict the cure class.