Social behaviour risk factors for drug resistant tuberculosis in mainland China: a meta-analysis

Spatiotemporal analysis of regional and age differences in tuberculosis prevalence in mainland China

Globally, tuberculosis is a leading cause of infectious disease deaths. China ranks third among the 30 high-burden countries for tuberculosis and accounts for approximately 7.4% of the cases reported worldwide. Since very few studies have investigated the age difference in tuberculosis prevalence in mainland China, therefore, the preliminary characterisation of age differences in tuberculosis patients is not well understood. The data of reported sputum smear-positive, tuberculosis and sputum smear-negative cases in 340 prefectures from mainland China were extracted from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention from January 2009 to December 2018. Multiple statistical analysis and GIS techniques were used to investigate the temporal trend and identify the spatial distribution of sputum smear-positive, tuberculosis and sputum smear-negative cases in the study area. The results showed that the incidence of sputum smear-positive and tuberculosis has dropped to a stable level, while sputum smear-negative exhibited a rising trend. Additionally, sputum smear-positive, tuberculosis and sputum smear-negative are still highly prevalent in northwestern and southwestern regions of China. Interestingly, the young adult group (20-50 age) and elder group (>50 age) are more susceptible to being infected with tuberculosis, while lower infection levels were recorded in the juvenile group (<20 age). The present study investigated the temporal-spatial distribution of sputum smear-positive, tuberculosis and sputum smear-negative cases in mainland China before the COVID-19 pandemic breakout, which would help the government agency establish an effective mechanism of tuberculosis prevention in high-risk periods and high-risk areas in the study region.

Epidemiology of first- and second-line drugs-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis in Iran: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Drug resistance among Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains is a growing concern in developing countries. We conducted a comprehensive search for relevant studies in Iran on PubMed, Scopus, and Embase until June 12, 2020. Our study focused on determining the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in MTB isolates, with subgroup analyses based on year, location, and drug susceptibility testing (DST) methods. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA software. Our meta-analysis included a total of 47 articles. Among new TB cases, we found the following prevalence rates: Any-resistance to first-line drugs: 31 % (95 % CI, 24-38), mono-drug resistance: 15 % (95 % CI, 10-22), and multidrug resistance to first-line drugs: 6 % (95 % CI, 4-8). There was a significant variation in the rate of MDR among new TB cases based on the year of publication, location, and DST methods (P < 0.0001). We observed substantial variability in multidrug-resistant TB rates among new cases across the studies. Stratified analyses revealed that publication years and DST methods significantly affected resistance rates. Studies from southern and central Iran reported higher any-drug resistance rates, suggesting regional differences. Among retreatment cases, the prevalence rates were as follows: Any resistance: 68 % (95 % CI 58-78), mono-resistance: 19 % (95 % CI 7-34), multidrug resistance: 28 % (95 % CI 15-43). Our study revealed that the prevalence of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) among TB cases in Iran is higher than the global average. Particularly, MDR-TB among retreatment TB cases is a significant public health issue.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Drug Resistance in Ethiopia: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global public health issue, despite advances in diagnostic technologies, substantial global efforts, and the availability of effective chemotherapies. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a species of pathogenic bacteria resistant to currently available anti-TB drugs, is on the rise, threatening national and international TB-control efforts. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to estimate the pooled prevalence of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) in Ethiopia. Materialsand Methods: A systematic literature search was undertaken using PubMed/MEDLINE, HINARI, the Web of Science, ScienceDirect electronic databases, and Google Scholar (1 January 2011 to 30 November 2020). After cleaning and sorting the records, the data were analyzed using STATA 11. The study outcomes revealed the weighted pooled prevalence of any anti-tuberculosis drug resistance, any isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF) resistance, monoresistance to INH and RIF, and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in newly diagnosed and previously treated patients with TB. Results: A total of 24 studies with 18,908 patients with TB were included in the final analysis. The weighted pooled prevalence of any anti-TB drug resistance was 14.25% (95% confidence interval (CI): 7.05–21.44%)), whereas the pooled prevalence of any INH and RIF resistance was found in 15.62% (95%CI: 6.77–24.47%) and 9.75% (95%CI: 4.69–14.82%) of patients with TB, respectively. The pooled prevalence for INH and RIF-monoresistance was 6.23% (95%CI: 4.44–8.02%) and 2.33% (95%CI: 1.00–3.66%), respectively. MDR-TB was detected in 2.64% (95%CI: 1.46–3.82%) of newly diagnosed cases and 11.54% (95%CI: 2.12–20.96%) of retreated patients with TB, while the overall pooled prevalence of MDR-TB was 10.78% (95%CI: 4.74–16.83%). Conclusions: In Ethiopia, anti-tuberculosis drug resistance is widespread. The estimated pooled prevalence of INH and RIF-monoresistance rates were significantly higher in this review than in previous reports. Moreover, MDR-TB in newly diagnosed cases remained strong. Thus, early detection of TB cases, drug-resistance testing, proper and timely treatment, and diligent follow-up of TB patients all contribute to the improvement of DR-TB management and prevention. Besides this, we urge that a robust, routine laboratory-based drug-resistance surveillance system be implemented in the country.

Risk factors associated with drug-resistant tuberculosis in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is becoming a challenge to the national TB control programmes including Ethiopia. Different risk factors are associated with DR-TB. Identifying these risk factors in a local setting is important to strengthen the effort to prevent and control DR-TB. Thus, this study aimed to assess the risk factors associated with DR-TB in Ethiopia. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses checklist was followed to conduct this study. We systematically searched the articles from electronic databases and grey literature sources. We used the JBI tools to assess the quality of studies. Data were analysed using STATA version 15. We estimated the pooled odds ratio (OR) along with 95% Confidence Interval (CI). The forest plot and I2 heterogeneity test were used to assess heterogeneity among studies. We explored the presence of publication bias through visual inspection of the funnel plot and Egger's regression test. After screening 2238 articles, 27 studies were included in the final analysis. Based on the pooled analysis of the OR, unemployment (OR; 2.71, 95% CI; 1.64, 3.78), previous TB history (OR; 4.83, 95% CI; 3.02, 6.64), contact with known TB patient (OR; 1.72, 95% CI; 1.05, 2.40), contact with the known multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB patient (OR; 2.54, 95% CI; 1.46, 3.63) and having pulmonary TB (PTB; OR; 1.80, 95% CI; 1.14, 2.45) were found to be the risk factors of DR-TB, while elders (OR; 0.77, 95%CI; 0.60, 0.95) including above 45 years (OR; 0.76, 95%CI; 0.55, 0.97) and males (OR; 0.86, 95%CI; 0.76, 0.97) had lower DR-TB risk, compared to their counterparts. A previous history of TB treatment is a major risk factor for acquiring DR-TB in Ethiopia that might be due to poor adherence during the first-line anti-TB treatment. Besides, having contact with a TB patient, contact with an MDR-TB patient, having PTB and being unemployed were the risk factors of DR-TB in Ethiopia. Thus, active screening of TB contacts for DR-TB might help to detect DR-TB cases as early as possible and could help to mitigate its further transmission across the community.

Mycobacterial Lineages Associated with Drug Resistance in Patients with Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

In Ethiopia, tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common causes of illness and death. However, there is limited information available on lineages associated with drug resistance among extrapulmonary tuberculosis patients in Ethiopia. In this study, researchers looked into Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineages linked to drug resistance in patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

METHODS

On 151 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates, a cross-sectional analysis was performed. Spoligotyping was used to characterize mycobacterial lineages, while a phenotypic drug susceptibility test was performed to determine the drug resistance pattern. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.

RESULTS

Among 151 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) genotyped isolates, four lineages (L1-L4), and Mycobacterium bovis were identified. The predominantly identified lineage was Euro-American (73.5%) followed by East-African-Indian (19.2%). Any drug resistance (RR) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis was identified among 16.2% and 7.2% of the Euro-American lineage, respectively, while it was 30.8% and 15.4% among the East-African-Indian lineages. Among all three preextensively drug-resistance (pre-XDR) cases identified, two isolates belong to T3-ETH, and the other one strain was not defined by the database. There was no statistically significant association between any type of drug resistance and either lineage or sublineages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

CONCLUSION

A higher proportion of any type of drug resistance and MDR was detected among the East-African-Indian lineage compared to others. However, there was no statistically significant association between any type of drug resistance and either lineages or sublineages. Thus, the authors recommend a large-scale study.

Access to quality diagnosis and rational treatment for tuberculosis: real-world evidence from China-Gates Tuberculosis Control Project Phase III

Background

China has successfully reduced tuberculosis (TB) incidence rate over the past three decades, however, challenges remain in improving the quality of TB diagnosis and treatment. In this paper, we assess the effects of the implementation of “China National Health Commission (NHC) and Gates Foundation TB Prevention and Control Project” on the quality of TB care in the three provinces.

Methods

We conducted the baseline study in 2016 and the final evaluations in 2019 in the 12 selected project counties. We obtained TB patients’ information from the TB Information Management System and reviewed medical records of TB cases in the TB designated hospitals. We compared TB diagnosis and treatment services with the national practice guideline and used Student’s t-test and Pearson χ² tests or Fisher’s exact tests to compare the difference before and after the project implementation.

Results

The percentage of sputum smear-negative (SS–) patients taking culture or rapid molecular test (RMT) doubled between 2015 and 2018 (from 35% to 87%), and the percentage of bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary TB cases increased from 36% to 52%. RMT has been widely used and contributed an additional 20% of bacteriologically confirmed TB cases in 2018. The percentage of TB patients taking drug susceptibility tests (DST) also doubled (from 40% in 2015 to 82% in 2018), and the proportion of TB patients receiving adequate diagnosis services increased from 85% to 96%. Among all SS– TB patients, over 86% received the recommended diagnostic services at the end of the study period, an improvement from 75% prior to the project implementation. However, the proportion of TB patients treated irrationally using second-line anti-TB drugs (SLDs) increased from 12.6% in 2015 to 19.9% in 2018. The regional disparities remained within the project provinces, albeit the gaps between them narrowed down for almost all indicators.

Conclusions

The quality of TB diagnosis services has been improved substantially, which is attributable to the coverage of new diagnosis technology. However, irrational use of SLDs remains a concern after the project implementation.

Graphic abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40249-021-00875-8.

Risk factors for drug-resistant tuberculosis, the association between comorbidity status and drug-resistant patterns: a retrospective study of previously treated pulmonary tuberculosis in Shandong, China, during 2004-2019

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to identify the risk factors for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) and the association between comorbidity and drug resistance among retreated pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).

DESIGN

A retrospective study was conducted among all the 36 monitoring sites in Shandong, China, over a 16-year period. Baseline characteristics were collected from the TB Surveillance System. Categorical variables were compared by Fisher's exact or Pearson's χ² test. The risk factors for drug resistance were identified using univariable analysis and multivariable logistic models. The influence of comorbidity on different types of drug resistance was evaluated by performing multivariable logistic models with the covariates adjusted by age, sex, body mass index, drinking/smoking history and cavity.

RESULTS

A total of 10 975 patients with PTB were recorded during 2004-2019, and of these 1924 retreated PTB were finally included. Among retreated PTB, 26.2% were DR-TB and 12.5% had comorbidity. Smoking (adjusted OR (aOR): 1.69, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.39), cavity (aOR: 1.55, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.97) and comorbidity (aOR: 1.44, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.02) were risk factors for DR-TB. Of 504 DR-TB, 9.5% had diabetes mellitus, followed by hypertension (2.0%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (1.8%). Patients with retreated PTB with comorbidity were more likely to be older, have more bad habits (smoking, alcohol abuse) and have clinical symptoms (expectoration, haemoptysis, weight loss). Comorbidity was significantly associated with DR-TB (aOR: 1.44, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.02), overall rifampin resistance (aOR: 2.17, 95% CI 1.41 to 3.36), overall streptomycin resistance (aOR: 1.51, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.27) and multidrug resistance (aOR: 1.96, 95% CI 1.17 to 3.27) compared with pan-susceptible patients (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Smoking, cavity and comorbidity lead to an increased risk of drug resistance among retreated PTB. Strategies to improve the host's health, including smoking cessation, screening and treatment of comorbidity, might contribute to the control of tuberculosis, especially DR-TB, in China.

Survival analysis of patients with tuberculosis and risk factors for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Monrovia, Liberia

We reviewed the records of 337 confirmed cases of tuberculosis patients in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, 2015. The risk factors affecting the survival and multidrug-resistance of tuberculosis patients were examined. Kaplan-Meier analysis and the log-rank test were used to assess the differences in survival among the patients, while Cox regression model was used for multivariate analysis. The qualitative data was tested with chi-square test in the single factor analysis of multidrug-resistant TB. Multivariate analysis was performed using binary logistic regression analysis. The significance level for all the tests were set at 0.05. The mean period of the follow-up of patients was 10 months. In the 337 patients, 33 (9.8%) died, the 21-month survival rate was 90.2%. The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis show that overcrowding (HR = 7.942, 95% CI 3.258-19.356), former smoking (HR = 3.773, 95% CI 1.601-8.889), current smoking (HR = 3.546, 95% CI 1.195-10.521), multidrug-resistance tuberculosis (HR = 4.632, 95% CI 1.913-11.217) were risk factors for death during anti-tuberculosis treatment in TB patients in Liberia. The results of binary logistic regression analysis show that extra-pulmonary (OR = 2.032, 95% CI 1.133-3.644), family history of TB (OR = 2.387, 95% CI 1.186-4.807) and current smoking (OR = 3.436, 95% CI 1.681-7.027) were risk factors for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. These results can provide insights on local tuberculosis early intervention, increase public health awareness, and strengthen the control of factors that may affect the survival and multidrug-resistance of tuberculosis patients.

Evaluation of risk factors associated with the development of MDR- and XDR-TB in a tertiary care hospital: a retrospective cohort study

Background

Drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) infringes substantial burden in terms of longer treatment duration, morbidity and mortality. Timely identification of patients at risks of DR-TB will aid individualized treatment. Current study was aimed to ascertain several factors associated with DR-TB among patients attending a tertiary care hospital.

Methods

This retrospective study was conducted among patients with confirmed diagnosis of DR-TB and drug susceptible TB (DS-TB) seeking medical care from a tertiary care hospital during 2014–2019. The types of DR-TB included were rifampicin resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB), Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). Appropriate statistical methods were implied to evaluate the factors associated with DR-TB.

Results

Out of 580 patients, DS-TB was diagnosed in 198 (34.1%) patients while DR-TB was present in 382 patients. Of resistance cases, RR-TB, MDR-TB and XDR-TB were diagnosed in 176 (30.3%), 195 (33.6%) and 11 (1.9%) patients, respectively. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in demographics and clinico-laboratory characteristics were observed between patients with DS-TB and DR-TB. Logistic regression analysis revealed age ≤38 years (OR: 2.5), single marital status (OR: 11.1), tobacco use (OR: 2.9), previous treatment (OR: 19.2), treatment failure (OR: 9.2) and cavity on chest X-ray (OR: 30.1) as independent risk factors for MDR-TB. However, XDR-TB was independently associated with age group of ≤38 years (OR: 13.6), students (OR: 13.0), previous treatment (OR: 12.5), cavity on chest X-ray (OR: 59.6). The independent risk factors associated with RR-TB are age ≤38 years (OR: 2.8), females (OR: 5.7), unemployed (OR: 41.5), treatment failure (OR: 4.9), previous treatment (OR: 38.2) and cavity on chest X-ray (OR: 4.3). ROC curve analysis accentuate the excellent predictive accuracy of all logistic regression models as shown by AUC (0.968, P < 0.001) for MDR-TB, AUC (0.941, P < 0.001) for XDR-TB and AUC (0.962, P < 0.001) for RR-TB.

Conclusions

Current study demonstrates a sizeable extent of resistant cases among pulmonary TB patients. This study presaged significant risk of DR-TB among females, young adults, unemployed, smokers, patients with previous treatment failure and cavitation on chest X-ray. Timely identification of high risk patients will give pronounced advantages regarding appropriate choices of prevention, treatment and disease control.

Trends in burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in countries, regions, and worldwide from 1990 to 2017: results from the Global Burden of Disease study

Background

Antituberculosis-drug resistance is an important public health issue, and its epidemiological patterns has dramatically changed in recent decades. This study aimed to estimate the trends of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), which can be used to inform health strategies.

Methods

Data were collected from the Global Burden of Disease study 2017. The estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) were calculated to assess the trends of MDR-TB burden at global, regional, and national level from 1990 to 2017 using the linear regression model.

Results

Globally, the age-standardized rate (ASR) of MDR-TB burden including incidence, prevalence, death and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) had pronounced increasing trends from 1990 to 1999, with the EAPCs were 17.63 [95% confidence interval (CI): 10.77–24.92], 17.57 (95% CI 11.51–23.95), 21.21 (95% CI 15.96–26.69), and 21.90 (95% CI 16.55–27.50), respectively. Particularly, the largest increasing trends were seen in areas and countries with low and low-middle sociodemographic index (SDI). However, the trends in incidence, prevalence, death and DALYs of MDR-TB decreased globally from 2000 to 2017, with the respective EAPCs were − 1.37 (95% CI − 1.62 to − 1.12), − 1.32 (95% CI − 1.38 to − 1.26), − 3.30 (95% CI − 3.56 to − 3.04) and − 3.32 (95% CI − 3.59 to − 3.06). Decreasing trends of MDR-TB were observed in most regions and countries, particularly that of death and DALYs in Slovenia were − 18.96 (95% CI − 20.82 to − 17.06) and -19.35 (95% CI − 21.10 to − 17.55), respectively. Whereas the pronounced increasing trends of MDR-TB occurred in Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and Australia.

Conclusions

The ASR of MDR-TB showed pronounced decreasing trends from 2000 to 2017. However, the MDR-TB burden remains a substantial challenge to the TB control globally, and requires effective control strategies and healthcare systems.

Characteristics of pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients in Tigray Region, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Tuberculosis (TB) is among the top 10 causes of mortality and the first killer among infectious diseases worldwide. One of the factors fuelling the TB epidemic is the global rise of multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB). The aim of this study was to determine the magnitude and factors associated with MDR-TB in the Tigray Region, Ethiopia.

METHOD

This study employed a facility-based cross-sectional study design, which was conducted between July 2018 and August 2019. The inclusion criteria for the study participants were GeneXpert-positive who were not under treatment for TB, PTB patients' ≥15 years of age and who provided written informed consent. A total of 300 participants were enrolled in the study, with a structured questionnaire used to collect data on clinical, sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Sputum samples were collected and processed for acid-fast bacilli staining, culture and drug susceptibility testing. Drug susceptibility testing was performed using a line probe assay. Logistic regression was used to analyze associations between outcome and predictor variables.

RESULTS

The overall proportion of MDR-TB was 16.7% (11.6% and 32.7% for new and previously treated patients, respectively). Of the total MDR-TB isolates, 5.3% were pre-XDR-TB. The proportion of MDR-TB/HIV co-infection was 21.1%. A previous history of TB treatment AOR 3.75; 95% CI (0.7-2.24), cigarette smoking AOR 6.09; CI (1.65-2.50) and patients who had an intermittent fever (AOR = 2.54, 95% CI = 1.21-5.4) were strongly associated with MDR-TB development.

CONCLUSIONS

The magnitude of MDR-TB observed among new and previously treated patients is very alarming, which calls for an urgent need for intervention. The high proportion of MDR-TB among newly diagnosed cases indicates ongoing transmission, which suggests the need for enhanced TB control program performance to interrupt transmission. The increased proportion of MDR-TB among previously treated cases indicates a need for better patient management to prevent the evolution of drug resistance. Assessing the TB control program performance gaps and an optimal implementation of the WHO recommended priority actions for the management of drug-resistant TB, is imperative to help reduce the current high MDR-TB burden in the study region.

What causes high costs for rural tuberculosis inpatients? Evidence from five counties in China

BACKGROUND

Tuberculosis (TB) still causes high economic burden on patients in China, especially for rural patients. Our study aims to explore the risk factors associated with the high costs for TB inpatients in rural China from the aspects of inpatients' socio-demographic and institutional attributes.

METHODS

Generalized linear models were utilized to investigate the factors associated with TB inpatients' total costs and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures. Quantile regression (QR) models were applied to explore the effect of each factor across the different costs range and identify the risk factors of high costs.

RESULTS

TB inpatients with long length of stay and who receive hospitalization services cross provincially, in tertiary and specialized hospitals were likely to face high total costs and OOP expenditures. QR models showed that high total costs occurred in Dingyuan and Funan Counties, but they were not accompanied by high OOP expenditures.

CONCLUSIONS

Early diagnosis, standard treatment and control of drug-resistant TB are still awaiting for more efforts from the government. TB inpatients should obtain medical services from appropriate hospitals. The diagnosis and treatment process of TB should be standardized across all designated medical institutions. Furthermore, the reimbursement policy for migrant workers who suffered from TB should be ameliorated.

Determinants of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Southern Ethiopia: A Case-Control Study

Background

In most developing countries, including in Ethiopia, the magnitude and risk factors of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) are expected to be high. However, this is not well reported because of lack of laboratory facilities, poor surveillance system and limited reporting. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors of DR-TB among TB patients in southern Ethiopia.

Patients and Methods

Facility-based case–control study was conducted from November 2016 to January 2017 in Sidama Zone and Gurage Zone of the southern Ethiopia region. DR-TB cases were confirmed by drug-susceptibility testing who were on treatment for DR-TB at Yirgalem and Butajira Hospitals. Controls were smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients who were taking first-line anti-TB medications and sputum smear-negative at the 5^th month of commencing TB treatment. Data were entered and cleaned using EPI-Info version 7 software and analyzed using SPSS version 22 statistical software.

Results

A total of 84 cases and 243 controls participated in the study. About 59% (49 cases) and 55% (132 controls) were male. The median (interquartile range) age was 28 (21–37) years for cases and 27 (25–33) years for controls. Living in a one-roomed house (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 6.8, 95% CI: 1.8–25.8), history of contact with DR-TB cases (AOR: 6.8, 95% CI: 1.8–25.3), treatment failure TB cases (AOR: 4.2, 95% CI: 1.1–15.5) and relapsed TB cases (AOR: 4.8, 95% CI: 1.3–18.1) were independent factors associated with DR-TB.

Conclusion

Providing standardized first-line regimen for new case and retreatment TB cases and practicing basic TB-infection control measures could help to minimize the spread of DR-TB.

Over- and under-treatment of TB patients in Eastern China: an analysis based on health insurance claims data

Objective

Poor compliance with existing guidelines for tuberculosis (TB) care and treatment is an issue of concern in China. We assessed health service use by TB patients over the entire treatment process and compared it to the recommended guidelines.

Methods

We collected insurance claims data in three counties of one province of Eastern China. Patient records with a diagnosis of ‘pulmonary TB’ in 2015 and 2016 were extracted. Treatment duration, number of outpatient (OP) visits and hospital admissions, as well as total cost, out‐of‐pocket (OOP) payments and effective reimbursement rates were analysed.

Results

A total of 1394 patients were included in the analysis. More than 48% received over the 8 months of treatment that TB guidelines recommend, and over 28% received less. 49% of Urban and Rural Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URRBMI) TB patients were hospitalised while 30% of those with Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) had at least one admission. Median total cost for patients with hospital admission was almost 10 times that of patients without. By comparison, the average OOP was 5 times higher. UEBMI patients had a shorter treatment period, more outpatient visits but considerably fewer hospital admissions than URRBMI patients.

Conclusions

We found an alarming extent of TB over‐ and under‐treatment in our study population. There is an urgent need to improve compliance with treatment guidelines in China and to better understand the drivers of divergence. Extending the coverage of health insurance schemes and increasing reimbursement rates for TB outpatient services would seem to be key factors in reducing both the overall cost and financial burden on patients.

Brazilian cities profile, the occurence of tuberculosis an its drug-resistant form

Tuberculosis is closely related to living conditions. This study classifies Brazilian municipalities according to the occurrence of tuberculosis (TB) and drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) cases and describes them with regard to the population's health conditions, tuberculosis control indicators, demographic and socioeconomic profile. In 2014, 327 municipalities reported DR-TB cases. Integrated regions of development or metropolitan regions accounted for 80.1% of national DR-TB cases. Municipalities with DR-TB cases had worse TB outcome indicators, but higher culture test percentages, and more inhabitants and better socioeconomic indicators. The 3,644 municipalities with TB cases, but without DR-TB cases, had the worst socioeconomic indicators among the three groups. The 1,594 municipalities without TB cases had the lowest rates of unemployment and AIDS detection and greater coverage of primary healthcare. The different profiles found in the study can sustain improved national interventions for TB and drug-resistant TB control in Brazil.

Risk factors of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: A global systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

Since the risk of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) may depend on the setting, we aimed to determine the associations of risk factors of MDR-TB across different regions.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed with Pubmed and Embase databases. Information was retrieved on 37 pre-defined risk factors of MDR-TB. We estimated overall Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio as a measure of the association.

RESULTS

Factors of previous TB disease and treatment are the most important risk factors associated with MDR-TB. There was also a trend towards increased risk of MDR-TB for patients 40 years and older, unemployed, lacking health insurance, smear positive, with non-completion and failure of TB treatment, showing adverse drug reaction, non-adherent, HIV positive, with COPD and with M. Tuberculosis Beijing infection. Effect modification by geographical area was identified for several risk factors such as male gender, married patients, urban domicile, homelessness and history of imprisonment.

CONCLUSIONS

Assessment of risk factors of MDR-TB should be conducted regionally to develop the most effective strategy for MDR-TB control. Across all regions, factors associated with previous TB disease and treatment are essential risk factors, indicating the appropriateness of diagnosis, treatment and monitoring are an important requirements.

Recurrent tuberculosis among HIV-coinfected patients: a case series from KwaZulu-Natal

Background

Recurrent tuberculosis (TB) following TB treatment completion in HIV-infected individuals remains a major public health burden. We assessed the role of various risk factors in mediating the development of recurrent TB and subsequent resistance to antiretroviral therapy and anti-TB drugs.

Patients and methods

We analyzed secondary demographic, clinical, and laboratory data from medical records of five HIV-infected TB patients enrolled between 2009 and 2014 in a prospective observational study investigating TB recurrence. Paired clinical isolates of Myco-bacterium tuberculosis were typed by IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis to determine the mechanism of TB recurrence. Plasma samples were genotyped to determine acquisition of HIV drug resistance mutations on antiretroviral treatment (ART).

Results

All five patients were HIV-coinfected, with a previous history of TB infection and prior exposure to anti-TB treatment, and residual lung damage, and demonstrated poor treatment adherence – significant risk factors linked to the development of recurrent TB disease. Furthermore, three of the five patients had multiple episodes of drug-susceptible TB infection with subsequent drug-resistant TB infection. Genotyping of the initial and recurrent M. tuberculosis isolates demonstrated three cases of recurrent TB because of relapse and two because of reinfection. All five patients had no mutations at ART initiation; however, by the end of the study follow-up, all patients developed dual class resistance.

Conclusion

This series demonstrates the complexity of recurrent TB in HIV coinfection. We highlight the challenges of managing coinfected patients and the increased propensity for the development of drug resistance. We report on the role of various risk factors mediating the development of resistance and subsequent clinical impact. This report underscores the need for structural clinical and adherence interventions for the management of complex treatment and dosing.

FACTOR RELEATED OF ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS DRUG RESISTENCY ON PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS PASIENT IN LABUANG BAJI HOSPITAL MAKASSAR

Tuberculosis is one of the infectious diseases that endanger health. The diseases can spread rapidly since it spreads through the air that happens when people suffering from tuberculosis are coughing and sneezing so that droplets containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis can be exposed to anyone who was around the patient. The general objective of this research is to analyze the factors that affect the anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in hospitals Labuang Makassar Baji.Research design with cross sectional approach. This study was conducted in June-July 2017. With a total sample of 60 respondents based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Based on the data analysis, it was found that the age group of 15-34 years were 34 respondents (56,7%), female were 35 respondents (58.3%), positive VCT test result was 15 respondents (25.0%), respondents who have medical history previously there were 54 respondents (90.0%), who had 45 respondents (78.3%) of TB contacts, who had good knowledge as many as 45 respondents (75.6%) who had PMO as many as 40 respondents (66.7%) , which states the behavior of good officers as much as 36 respondents (60.0%).The result of statistical test using Chi-Square test showed that there was a significant correlation between treatment history and OAT resistance with p = 0,024 <α = 0,05. While age, HIV infection, TB contact, Knowledge, Attitude behavior, and PMO have no significant relationship with OAT resistance. It is recommended to health care agencies to provide understanding to patients and families about TB treatment to prevent OAT resistance. Keywords               Tuberculosis, Resistance, Anti Tuberculosis Medication

Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis and Associated Factors in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review

Background

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has continued to be a challenge for tuberculosis (TB) control globally. Ethiopia is one of the countries with high MDR-TB burden.

Objective

The main purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of MDR-TB and associated factors in Ethiopia.

Methods

A systematic review of the literatures on prevalence of MDR-TB and associated factors was conducted in the country.

Results

In our electronic search, 546 citations were depicted. Among the total 546 citations described, a total of 22 articles met eligibility criteria and were included in the review article. According to our review, the prevalence of MDR-TB ranged from 0 to 46.3%. The average mean rate of MDR-TB in Ethiopia was found to be 12.6 ± 15.9%. The overall prevalence of MDR-TB in all TB cases was estimated to be 1.4%. From a total of 3849 patients studied, 527 had MDR-TB. Previous exposure to antituberculosis treatment was the most commonly identified risk factor of MDR-TB in Ethiopia.

Conclusion

Despite relative decline in incidence of MDR-TB, the distribution and prevalence of MDR-TB continued to be a serious challenge for TB control in Ethiopia. Previous exposure to antituberculosis treatment was also the most common risk factor for MDR-TB. Therefore, strong TB and MDR-TB treatment along with tight introduction of follow-up strategies should be applied for better TB control.

Identification of Risk Factors of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis by using Classification Tree Method

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has become a major public health problem. We tried to apply the classification tree model in building and evaluating a risk prediction model for MDR-TB. In this case-control study, 74 newly diagnosed MDR-TB patients served as the case group, and 95 patients without TB from the same medical institution served as the control group. The classification tree model was built using Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detectormethod and evaluated by income diagram, index map, risk statistic, and the area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Four explanatory variables (history of exposure to TB patients, family with financial difficulties, history of other chronic respiratory diseases, and history of smoking) were included in the prediction model. The risk statistic of misclassification probability of the model was 0.160, and the area under ROC curve was 0.838 (P < 0.01). These suggest that the classification tree model works well for predicting MDR-TB. Classification tree model can not only predict the risk of MDR-TB effectively but also can reveal the interactions among variables.

Prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Nigeria: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) undermines control efforts and its burden is poorly understood in resource-limited settings. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide an up-to-date summary of the extent of drug-resistant TB in Nigeria.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Scopus, Embase, HINARI, AJOL, the Cochrane library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for reports published before January 31 2017, that included any resistance, mono-resistance or multidrug resistance to anti-TB drugs in Nigeria. Summary estimates were calculated using random effects models.

Results

We identified 34 anti-TB drug resistance surveys with 8002 adult TB patients consisting of 2982 new and 5020 previously-treated cases. The prevalence rate of any drug resistance among new TB cases was 32.0% (95% CI 24.0–40.0%; 734/2892) and among previously-treated cases, the rate was 53.0% (95% CI 35.0–71.0%; 1467/5020). Furthermore, multidrug resistance among new and previously-treated cases was 6.0% (95% CI 4.0–8.0%;161/2502)and 32.0% (95%CI 20.0–44.0; 357/949), respectively. There was significant heterogeneity between the studies (p<0.001, I² tests). The prevalence of drug-resistant TB varied according to methods of drug susceptibility testing and geographic region of Nigeria.

Conclusion

The burden of drug-resistant TB in Nigeria is high. We recommend that a national anti-TB drug resistance survey be carried out, and strategies for case detection and programmatic management of drug-resistant TB in Nigeria need to be strengthened.

Hyperglycemia is associated with increased risk of patient delay in pulmonary tuberculosis in rural areas

BACKGROUND

Excessive time between the first presentation of symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and diagnosis contributes to ongoing transmission and increased risk of infection in the community, as well as to increased disease severity and higher mortality. People with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a higher risk of developing PTB. However, the effect of T2DM on delayed diagnosis of PTB is not fully understood. This study investigated the effects of hyperglycemia (diabetes and prediabetes) and other factors on PTB patient delay in a rural area of China.

METHODS

In the present community-based investigation, PTB patients aged ≥16 years newly diagnosed at county tuberculosis dispensaries were recruited consecutively between September 2011 and December 2013. Fasting blood glucose was determined in all subjects, and a structured questionnaire was used to collect basic information.

RESULTS

Of the 2280 patients, 605 (26.5 %) had hyperglycemia. The median (interquartile range) time to seeking health care was 44 (59) days. Health care seeking was delayed in 1754 subjects, and hyperglycemia was independently associated with an increased probability (odds ratio 2.10; 95 % confidence interval 1.49-2.97) of patient delay in subjects aged ≥30 years. Other factors associated with patient delay were cough, night sweats, and lack of knowledge regarding typical tuberculosis symptoms. The onset of hemoptysis was negatively correlated with patient delay.

CONCLUSIONS

Patient delay appears to be a serious problem in this rural area with a high prevalence of tuberculosis. Hyperglycemia is independently associated with an increased probability of patient delay, which, in turn, may result in more serious clinical manifestations.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) disease burden in China: a systematic review and spatio-temporal analysis

BACKGROUND

Surveillance data on the proportion of incident TB cases with MDR was limited and there is no systematic study of MDR-TB in China to date. Our aim was to estimate MDR-TB disease burden in 2012 and change trends during 2003-2012 using spatio-temporal systematic analysis.

METHODS

We systematically searched Chinese and English databases for primary articles and reviews that contain MDR-TB survey data about China during the period of 2003-2012. We estimated the proportion of incident TB cases with MDR in cities which had no data to report in 2012 by Kriging spatial interpolation analysis. The primary outcomes were the proportion of incident TB cases with MDR at 2012 and the change trend during 2003-2012.

RESULTS

Total 487 articles met the screening criteria, including 450 in Chinese and 37 in English, and have been used in analysis. The proportion of incident TB cases with MDR among all cases in 2012 showed clear geographic differences. From 2003 to 2012, the proportion of incident TB cases with MDR in all, new and previously treated TB cases were higher during 2006-2009 and significantly lower during 2010-2012 in comparison with the period during 2003-2005 (P < 0.0167). The estimated median proportion of incident TB cases with MDR among all cases, as well as in new and previously treated cases in 2012 was 12.8% (IQR 9.8-17.3%), 5.4% (4.5-7.3%) and 28.5% (20.5-30.9%) respectively, which led to an estimate of 121,600 (IQR93,000-164,350) MDR-TB cases in China.

CONCLUSIONS

This estimate of MDR-TB burden is considerably higher than data reported by the Chinese fifth national tuberculosis epidemiological sampling survey in 2010 but close to the WHO report, which implies that detailed investigations of MDR-TB burden in China is needed. This research provides data to guide public health decisions at various scales; methods described here can be extended to estimate of the other chronic diseases as well.

Spatial-Temporal Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in Mainland China: An Analysis Based on Bayesian Theory

OBJECTIVE

To explore the spatial-temporal interaction effect within a Bayesian framework and to probe the ecological influential factors for tuberculosis.

METHODS

Six different statistical models containing parameters of time, space, spatial-temporal interaction and their combination were constructed based on a Bayesian framework. The optimum model was selected according to the deviance information criterion (DIC) value. Coefficients of climate variables were then estimated using the best fitting model.

RESULTS

The model containing spatial-temporal interaction parameter was the best fitting one, with the smallest DIC value (-4,508,660). Ecological analysis results showed the relative risks (RRs) of average temperature, rainfall, wind speed, humidity, and air pressure were 1.00324 (95% CI, 1.00150-1.00550), 1.01010 (95% CI, 1.01007-1.01013), 0.83518 (95% CI, 0.93732-0.96138), 0.97496 (95% CI, 0.97181-1.01386), and 1.01007 (95% CI, 1.01003-1.01011), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The spatial-temporal interaction was statistically meaningful and the prevalence of tuberculosis was influenced by the time and space interaction effect. Average temperature, rainfall, wind speed, and air pressure influenced tuberculosis. Average humidity had no influence on tuberculosis.

Later emergence of acquired drug resistance and its effect on treatment outcome in patients treated with Standard Short-Course Chemotherapy for tuberculosis

Backgrounds

The failure of current Standard Short-Course Chemotherapy (SCC) in new and previously treated cases with tuberculosis (TB) was mainly due to drug resistance development. But little is known on the characteristics of acquired drug resistant TB during SCC and its correlation with SCC failure. The objective of the study is to explore the traits of acquired drug resistant TB emergence and evaluate their impacts on treatment outcomes.

Methods

A prospective observational study was performed on newly admitted smear positive pulmonary TB (PTB) cases without drug resistance pretreatment treated with SCC under China’s National TB Control Program (NTP) condition from 2008 to 2010. Enrolled cases were followed up through sputum smear, culture and drug susceptibility testing (DST) at the end of 1, 2, and 5 months after treatment initiation. The effect factors of early or late emergence of acquired drug resistant TB , such as acquired drug resistance patterns, the number of acquired resistant drugs and previous treatment history were investigated by multivariate logistic regression; and the impact of acquired drug resistant TB emergence on treatment failure were further evaluated.

Results

Among 1671 enrolled new and previously treated cases with SCC, 62 (3.7 %) acquired different patterns of drug resistant TB at early period within 2 months or later around 3–5 months of treatment. Previously treated cases were more likely to develop acquired multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) (OR, 3.8; 95 %CI, 1.4–10.4; P = 0.015). Additionally, acquired MDR-TB cases were more likely to emerge at later period around 3-5 months after treatment starting than that of non-MDR-TB mainly appeared within 2 months (OR, 8.3; 95 %CI, 1.7–39.9; P = 0.008). Treatment failure was associated with late acquired drug resistant TB emergence (OR, 25.7; 95 %CI, 4.3–153.4; P < 0.001) with the reference of early acquired drug resistant TB emergence.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that later development of acquired drug resistant TB during SCC is liable to suffer treatment failure and acquired MDR-TB pattern may be one of the possible causes.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12890-016-0187-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Determinants of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Henan province in China: a case control study

BACKGROUND

Multi-drug resistance (MDR) has been a cause of concern for tuberculosis (TB) control in both developed and developing countries. This study described the characteristics and risk factors associated with MDR-TB among 287 cases and 291 controls in Henan province, China.

METHODS

A hospital-based case-control study was conducted between June 2012 and December 2013. The study subjects were selected using multistage probability sampling. Multivariate conditional logistic regression models were used to determine the risk factors associated with MDR-TB.

RESULTS

The following risk factors for MDR-TB were identified: previous TB treatment (AOR = 4.51, 95% CI: 3.55-5.56), male sex (AOR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.24-1.88), high school or lower education degree (AOR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.27-2.69), unemployment (AOR = 1.30, 95% CI: 0.78-2.52), long distance of residence from the health facility (AOR = 6.66,95% CI: 5.92-7.72), smoking (AOR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.66-3.19), poor knowledge regarding MDR-TB (AOR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.66-2.92), traveling by foot to reach the health facility (AOR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.12-3.09), estimated amount of time to reach the health facility was greater than 3 h (AOR = 1.42, 95% CI: 0.51-2.35), social stigma (AOR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.27-2.03), having an opportunistic infection (AOR = 1.45, 95% CI: 0.58-2.4), more than 3 TB foci in the lungs (AOR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.49-3.25), total time of first treatment was more than 8 months (AOR = 1.39, 95% CI: 0.65-2.54), adverse effects of anti-TB medication (AOR = 2.39, 95% CI: 1.40-3.26), and more than 3 prior episodes of anti-TB treatment (AOR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.26-2.80).

CONCLUSION

The identified risk factors should be given priority in TB control programs. Additionally, there is a compelling need for better management and control of MDR-TB, particularly through increasing laboratory capacity, regular screening, enhancing drug sensitivity testing, novel MDR-TB drug regimens, and adherence to medication.

Previous treatment, sputum-smear nonconversion, and suburban living: The risk factors of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among Malaysians

The number of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients is increasing each year in many countries all around the globe. Malaysia has no exception in facing this burdensome health problem. We aimed to investigate the factors that contribute to the occurrence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among Malaysian tuberculosis patients. An unmatched case-control study was conducted among tuberculosis patients who received antituberculosis treatments from April 2013 until April 2014. Cases are those diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis patients clinically, radiologically, and/or bacteriologically, and who were confirmed to be resistant to both isoniazid and rifampicin through drug-sensitivity testing. On the other hand, pulmonary tuberculosis patients who were sensitive to all first-line antituberculosis drugs and were treated during the same time period served as controls. A total of 150 tuberculosis patients were studied, of which the susceptible cases were 120. Factors found to be significantly associated with the occurrence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis are being Indian or Chinese (odds ratio 3.17, 95% confidence interval 1.04-9.68; and odds ratio 6.23, 95% confidence interval 2.24-17.35, respectively), unmarried (odds ratio 2.58, 95% confidence interval 1.09-6.09), living in suburban areas (odds ratio 2.58, 95% confidence interval 1.08-6.19), are noncompliant (odds ratio 4.50, 95% confidence interval 1.71-11.82), were treated previously (odds ratio 8.91, 95% confidence interval 3.66-21.67), and showed positive sputum smears at the 2nd (odds ratio 7.00, 95% confidence interval 2.46-19.89) and 6th months of treatment (odds ratio 17.96, 95% confidence interval 3.51-91.99). Living in suburban areas, positive sputum smears in the 2nd month of treatment, and was treated previously are factors that independently contribute to the occurrence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Those with positive smears in the second month of treatment, have a history of previous treatment, and live in suburban areas are found to have a higher probability of becoming multidrug resistant. The results presented here may facilitate improvements in the screening and detection process of drug-resistant patients in Malaysia in the future.

Drug Resistance Pattern of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates From Patients Referred to TB Reference Laboratory in Ahvaz

Objectives

Tuberculosis remains one of the top three infectious disease killers. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has increased substantially in the past 20 years. When drug resistance is not detected, MDR-TB patients cannot access life-saving treatment; this puts their communities at risk of ongoing MDR-TB transmission. We aimed to determine the patterns of resistance to antituberculosis drugs among Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from Khuzestan province in Iran.

Methods

A total of 850 clinical specimens from patients suspected of active TB were cultured in 2015. Drug susceptibility testing to the first line antiTB drugs for culture positive MTB was performed on Lowenstein–Jensen medium using the proportion method.

Results

Of 850 cultured specimens, 272 (32%) were culture positive for mycobacteria. Of 64 MTB isolates that were analyzed by the proportion method, 62 (96.8%) were pan-susceptible and two (3.1%) were MDR.

Conclusion

An important way to prevent the emergence of MDR and XDR TB, and the principles of full implementation of the strategy is directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS). The efficient diagnosis and timely treatment of MDR-TB patients can prevent disease transmission, reduce the risk of drug resistance developing, and avoid further lung damage.

Multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and associated risk factors in Oromia Region of Ethiopia

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for tuberculosis (TB) caused by multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Oromia Region, Ethiopia.

METHODS

A 6-month case-control study was performed in 2013-14. Sputum samples and standardized questionnaire data (demographics, treatment, TB contact history, underlying disease, history of imprisonment) were collected from cases with suspected MDR-TB aged ≥ 18 years. Sputum was processed locally in the Oromia Public Health Laboratory using standard techniques. Data from MDR-TB cases and TB-positive controls were compared using logistic regression analysis. For each factor, the association with outcome variables was estimated by calculating the odds ratio (OR) together with the 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

RESULTS

Of 439 suspected MDR-TB cases, 265 had a confirmed M. tuberculosis infection, of whom 88 (33%) had laboratory-confirmed MDR-TB. Over two-thirds (65%) were between 18 and 39 years of age. On multivariate analysis, an occupation of farming, known TB contact history, alcohol use, HIV infection, previous known TB history, and previous TB treatment outcome were predictors of MDR-TB.

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of MDR-TB was high among suspected cases in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Local MDR-TB detection capacity and local epidemiology studies are essential to detect MDR-TB and guide the use of the sparse resources to optimize MDR-TB control. If TB is suspected, the presence of any of the above factors should alert Oromia Region clinicians and public health professionals to screen for MDR-TB.

A meta-analysis of drug resistant tuberculosis in Sub-Saharan Africa: how strongly associated with previous treatment and HIV co-infection?

Background

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the fight against tuberculosis (TB) has encountered a great challenge because of the emergence of drug resistant TB strains and the high prevalence of HIV infection. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the association of drug-resistant TB with anti-TB drug treatment history and HIV co-infection.

Methods

After electronic based literature search in the databases of Medline, HINARI, EMBASE and the Cochrane library, article selection and data extraction were carried out. HIV co-infection and previous history of TB treatment were used as predictors for the occurrence of any anti-TB drug resistant or multiple drug resistant TB (MDR-TB). The risk ratios for each included study and for the pooled sample were computed using the random-effects model. Heterogeneity test, sensitivity analyses and funnel plots were also done.

Results

The pooled analysis showed that the risk of developing drug-resistant TB to at least one anti-TB drug was about 3 times higher in individuals who had a previous history of anti-TB treatment than new TB cases. The risk of having MDR-TB in previously anti-TB treated TB cases was more than 5-fold higher than that of new TB cases. Resistance to Ethambutol and Rifampicin was more than fivefold higher among the previously treated with anti-TB drugs. However, HIV infection was not associated with drug-resistant TB.

Conclusion

There was a strong association of previous anti-TB treatment with MDR-TB. Primary treatment warrants special emphasis, and screening for anti-TB drugs sensitivity has to be strengthened.

Factors associated with primary transmission of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis compared with healthy controls in Henan Province, China

Background

It is estimated that there are about 74,000 primary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients per year according to the prevalence of MDR-TB of 5.7% among new TB patients in China. Thus, the risks of primary transmission of MDR-TB require further attention. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with primary transmission of MDR-TB in Henan province, where the number of new TB patients is ranked second highest in China.

Methods

A 1:1 matched case–control study was conducted in Henan, China. Cases were primary MDR-TB patients who were individually matched with a healthy control without TB from the same neighborhood. The study was conducted from July 2013 to June 2014. Both case and control were matched by age (±5 years) and sex. Conditional logistic regression was used to compute adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for risk factors associated with primary MDR-TB.

Results

For the study, 146 pairs of participants were recruited. The final multivariable logistic regression model disclosed that after adjusting for age and sex, primary MDR-TB cases were more likely to be single (AOR, 5.4; 95% CI, 1.4–20.7), earn an annual income of ≤ 12,000 yuan (RMB) (AOR, 9.9; 95% CI, 2.0–48.1), experience more life pressure/stress (AOR, 10.8; 95% CI, 2.8–41.5), not be medically insured (AOR, 50.1; 95% CI, 8.2–306.8), and suffer from diabetes, cardiovascular disease or other respiratory diseases, or cancer (AOR, 57.1; 95% CI, 8.6–424.2).

Conclusions

In order to control primary transmission of MDR-TB in China, we recommend that improving the social support, living standards and medical security of the lower social class become a priority.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40249-015-0045-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Ethiopia: efforts to expand diagnostic services, treatment and care

The emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), particularly multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB, is a major public health problem. The purpose of this review is to describe the current status of MDR-TB and factors that increase the risk of this infection. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on MDR-TB in Ethiopia. Out of 766 articles, 23 were found to meet eligibility criteria and included in this review. Among the 23 papers, six of them reported high prevalence of MDR-TB in the range of 3.3%-46.3%. Likewise, two studies reported XDR-TB in the range of 1% - 4.4% in Ethiopia. The most powerful predictor of the emergence of MDR-TB reported in Ethiopia is previous exposure to anti-TB drug treatment. This review indicated that MDR-TB in Ethiopia is a serious public health problem that needs to be addressed urgently. Strengthening early case detection and proper treatment of drug-susceptible TB in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) treatment guidelines to ensure adequate treatment success rates is critical. Consequently, efforts have been made to a rapidly increase MDR-TB diagnosis as well as the number of treatment sites to implement a directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) plus strategy to interrupt transmission of MDR-TB.

Experiences in anti-tuberculosis treatment in patients with multiple previous treatments and its impact on drug resistant tuberculosis epidemics

BACKGROUND

Tuberculosis (TB) patients with a history of multiple anti-TB treatments are the 'neglected' group to the free anti-TB treatment policy in China.

OBJECTIVE

To understand the experiences of TB patients with multiple previous treatments with regard to bacteriological diagnosis and treatment regimens, especially for second-line anti-TB drugs, and how this might influence the risks of multidrug and extensively drug-resistant TB (M/XDR-TB).

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 county/district TB clinics in five provinces of China. The study participants were TB patients that had at least two previous treatment episodes that lasted longer than 1 month each. Face-to-face interviews and drug susceptibility testing (DST) were conducted with the consenting participants.

RESULTS

A total of 328 TB patients were recruited. The proportion of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) was 58.2% in the 287 DST-confirmed patients. Forty-two percent of the patients did not complete their first treatment course. About 23.8% of the participants had a history of taking second-line drugs, and more than 77.8% of them were treated in county TB dispensaries where only sputum microscopy was applied. Multivariate analysis found that the use of second-line drugs was significantly associated with frequency of previous treatments (p<0.01), but not with drug resistance profiles of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with multiple previous treatments are at extremely high risk of MDR-TB in China. The unregulated use of second-line drugs bring about the threat of XDR-TB epidemic. DST-guided treatment and strict regulations of anti-TB treatment should be assured for the high-risk TB patients for the prevention and control of M/XDR-TB.

Global control of tuberculosis: from extensively drug-resistant to untreatable tuberculosis

Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis is a burgeoning global health crisis mainly affecting economically active young adults, and has high mortality irrespective of HIV status. In some countries such as South Africa, drug-resistant tuberculosis represents less than 3% of all cases but consumes more than a third of the total national budget for tuberculosis, which is unsustainable and threatens to destabilise national tuberculosis programmes. However, concern about drug-resistant tuberculosis has been eclipsed by that of totally and extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis--ie, resistance to all or nearly all conventional first-line and second-line antituberculosis drugs. In this Review, we discuss the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, management, implications for health-care workers, and ethical and medicolegal aspects of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis and other resistant strains. Finally, we discuss the emerging problem of functionally untreatable tuberculosis, and the issues and challenges that it poses to public health and clinical practice. The emergence and growth of highly resistant strains of tuberculosis make the development of new drugs and rapid diagnostics for tuberculosis--and increased funding to strengthen global control efforts, research, and advocacy--even more pressing.

Are we doing enough to stem the tide of acquired MDR-TB in countries with high TB burden? Results of a mixed method study in Chongqing, China

Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) represents a threat to health and development in countries with high TB burden. China’s MDR-TB prevalence rate of 6.8% is the highest in the world. Interventions to remove barriers against effective TB control, and prevention of MDR-TB are urgently needed in the country. This paper reports a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 513 pulmonary TB (PTB) patients, and qualitative interviews of 10 healthcare workers (HCWs), and 15 PTB patients. The objective was to assess barriers against effective control of PTB and prevention of MDR-TB by elucidating the perspectives of patients and healthcare providers. Results showed that more than half of the patients experienced patient delay of over 12.5 days. A similar proportion also experienced detection delay of over 30 days, and delay in initiating treatment of over 31 days. Consulting a non-TB health facility ≥3 times before seeking care at TB dispensary was a risk factor for both detection delay [AOR (95% CI): 1.89(1.07, 3.34) and delay in initiating treatment[AOR (95% CI): 1.88 (1.06, 3.36). Results revealed poor implementation of Directly Observed Therapy (DOT), whereby treatment of 34.3% patients was never monitored by HCWs. Only 31.8% patients had ever accessed TB health education before their TB diagnosis. Qualitative data consistently disclosed long patient delay, and indicated that patient’s poor TB knowledge and socioeconomic barriers were primary reasons for patient delay. Seeking care and being treated at a non-TB hospital was an important reason for detection delay. Patient’s long work hours and low income increased risk for treatment non-adherence. Evidence-based measures to improve TB health seeking behavior, reduce patient and detection delays, improve the quality of DOT, address financial and system barriers, and increase access to TB health promotion are urgently needed to address the burgeoning prevalence of MDR-TB in China.

Population aging and migrant workers: bottlenecks in tuberculosis control in rural China

Background

Tuberculosis is a serious global health problem. Its paradigms are shifting through time, especially in rapidly developing countries such as China. Health providers in China are at the forefront of the battle against tuberculosis; however, there are few empirical studies on health providers' perspectives on the challenges they face in tuberculosis control at the county level in China. This study was conducted among health providers to explore their experiences with tuberculosis control in order to identify bottlenecks and emerging challenges in controlling tuberculosis in rural China.

Methods

A qualitative approach was used. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 health providers working in various positions within the health system of one rural county (ZJG) of China. Data were analyzed based on thematic content analysis using MAXQDA 10 qualitative data analysis software.

Results

Health providers reported several problems in tuberculosis control in ZJG county. Migrant workers and the elderly were repeatedly documented as the main obstacles in effective tuberculosis control in the county. At a personal level, doctors showed their frustration with the lack of new drugs for treating tuberculosis patients, and their opinions varied regarding incentives for referring patients.

Conclusion

The results suggest that several problems still remain for controlling tuberculosis in rural China. Tuberculosis control efforts need to make reaching the most vulnerable populations a priority and encourage local health providers to adopt innovative practices in the local context based on national guidelines to achieve the best results. Considerable changes in China's National Tuberculosis Control Program are needed to tackle these emerging challenges faced by health workers at the county level.

Factors associated with patient, and diagnostic delays in Chinese TB patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Delay in seeking care is a major impediment to effective management of tuberculosis (TB) in China. To elucidate factors that underpin patient and diagnostic delays in TB management, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of factors that are associated with delays in TB care-seeking and diagnosis in the country.

METHODS

This review was prepared following standard procedures of the Cochrane Collaboration and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and checklist. Relevant studies published up to November 2012 were identified from three major international and Chinese literature databases: Medline/PubMed, EMBASE and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure).

RESULTS

We included 29 studies involving 38,947 patients from 17 provinces in China. Qualitative analysis showed that key individual level determinants of delays included socio-demographic and economic factors, mostly poverty, rural residence, lack of health insurance, lower educational attainment, stigma and poor knowledge of TB. Health facility determinants included limited availability of resources to perform prompt diagnosis, lack of qualified health workers and geographical barriers.Quantitative meta-analysis indicated that living in rural areas was a risk factor for patient delays (pooled odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 1.79 (1.62, 1.98)) and diagnostic delays (pooled OR (95% CI): 1.40 (1.23, 1.59)). Female patients had higher risk of patient delay (pooled OR (95% CI): 1.94 (1.13, 3.33)). Low educational attainment (primary school and below) was also a risk factor for patient delay (pooled OR (95% CI): 2.14 (1.03, 4.47)). The practice of seeking care first from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TMC) providers was also identified as a risk factor for diagnostic delay (pooled OR (95% CI): 5.75 (3.03, 10.94)).

CONCLUSION

Patient and diagnostic delays in TB care are mediated by individual and health facility factors. Population-based interventions that seek to reduce TB stigma and raise awareness about the benefits of early diagnosis and prompt treatment are needed. Policies that remove patients' financial barriers in access to TB care, and integration of the informal care sector into TB control in urban and rural settings are central factors in TB control.