Protective efficacy of 6-week regimen for latent tuberculosis infection treatment in rural China: 5-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial

Clinical and Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain characteristics of tuberculosis patients with diabetes mellitus in Changping District, Beijing, China

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major risk factor for tuberculosis (TB), However, limited research exists on their clinical and strain characteristics. This study aims to investigate the correlation between these factors in TB-DM patients in Changping District.  METHODS: Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and drug susceptibility tests (DST) were performed on culture-positive strains. Spearman correlation analysis was used to examine risk factors and the correlation between lineage, cavities, and hemoptysis in the TB-DM population. The specificity, sensitivity, and confidence intervals for predicting phenotypic drug resistance based on genotypic resistance were calculated.

RESULTS

Among the 3924 TB patients, 292 had DM, showing a doubling in the proportion of TB patients with DM over seven years. Among the 144 etiologically positive TB-DM cases treated at the Changping Institute for Tuberculosis Prevention and Treatment, 75% (108/144) of the patients exhibited tuberculosis lesions that formed cavities and 12.5% (18/144) with hemoptysis. A statistically significant difference in cavity formation across different age groups was observed (r = -0.198, P < 0.05). Out of the 144 etiologically positive patients, WGS successfully revived 73 MTB strains, with Lineage 2 being predominant. No statistical difference was found between lineages and the presence of cavities or hemoptysis. The DST results showed the highest resistance rates to isoniazid and streptomycin, both at 8.2% (6/73), with approximately one-quarter of the strains resistant to at least one anti-TB drug, and about half (47.1%, 8/17) resistant to first-line drugs. The study demonstrated good specificity but suboptimal sensitivity in predicting phenotypic drug resistance based on genotypic resistance.

CONCLUSIONS

The rising incidence of diabetes in tuberculosis patients within Changping District has intensified the spread of TB, with these patients demonstrating severe illness and high drug resistance. This study aims to develop targeted prevention and management strategies, offering crucial guidance for treating co-infections of TB and DM and controlling disease spread.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Global Tuberculosis Control Strategies at Different Stages and Analysis of Risk Factors: Findings From the Global Burden of Disease 2021

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevention and control effects of the three-phase global tuberculosis control strategy, and analyze the influencing factors.

METHODS

We collected age-standardized incidence, prevalence, and mortality (ASIR, ASPR, and ASDR) data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD 2021) database. Annual percentage change (AAPC) of ASIR, ASPR and ASDR were analyzed by Joinpoint regression. Correlation and decomposition analyses explored related epidemiological factors.

RESULTS

At the global level, in the first phase Directly-Observed Treatment Strategy (DOTS), the annual reduction in incidence was 1.18%, and prevalence was 0.71%. In the second phase Stop TB, the cumulative mortality decrease was 56.44% which met the desired goal. However, the cumulative decrease of prevalence was only 20.45%. In the third phase End TB, annual rate of reduction in mortality was 3.33%, while the annual rate of reduction in incidence was 1.14%. ASPR showed a large decrease in both low socio-demographic index (SDI) and high SDI regions, the decrease in medium SDI region was small, which might be dominated by demographic factors at the DOTS stage, changed to epidemiologic in the Stop TB stage and to aging factors in the End TB stage.

CONCLUSION

The control of TB morbidity and mortality had a great achievement in all the 3 different phases of the TB control strategy, and a concerted global effort is still needed in phase 3 to reach the END TB goal. TB prevalence control needs to be emphasized, especially in the middle and high SDI areas.

CD8+ T cell response in QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus testing was associated with tuberculosis recurrence: a 2-year prospective study

BACKGROUND

Recurrence posed an important challenge to pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) control in China. The prospective study aimed to identify potential risk factors and to explore the value of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) in identifying at-risk individuals with treated prior PTB history.

METHODS

All eligible individuals aged ≥18 years who had been diagnosed with PTB before 2016 in Zhongmu County, where with an average level of TB prevalence in China, were included and received baseline survey including chest radiography, QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) and QFT-Plus, then PTB recurrence was tracked through a 2-year follow-up.

RESULTS

Half of 1068 (52.34%, 559/1068) included eligible participants were QFT-Plus positive at baseline and 21 of them recurred active TB in 2-year follow-up. Individuals aged ≥ 60 years, who had a recent history of TB and smokers were associated with increased risk of TB recurrence with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 3.97 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29-12.24), 7.71 (95% CI: 1.74-34.25) and 4.56 (95% CI: 1.62-12.83), respectively. Compared to QFT-Plus negatives, those who were TB2+/TB1- (aOR = 15.34) exhibited stronger association with the risk of TB recurrence than those who were TB1+/TB2+ (aOR = 6.06). A dose response relationship was also found between the risk of TB recurrence with the baseline level of TB2-TB1 (p for trend < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

High burden of TB infection and high risk of PTB recurrence were observed in the study population. Those with recent onset of prior TB, elderly smokers and QFT-Plus positives especially with TB2 single positive deserved further attention in active TB surveillance.

Cost-effectiveness of latent tuberculosis infection testing and treatment with 6-week regimen among key population in rural communities in China: a decision analysis study

PURPOSE

Several model studies suggested the implementation of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) testing and treatment could greatly reduce the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) and achieve the 2035 target of the "End TB" Strategy in China. The present study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of LTBI testing and TB preventive treatment among key population (≥ 50 years old) susceptible to TB at community level in China.

METHODS

A Markov model was developed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of LTBI testing using interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) and subsequent treatment with 6-month daily isoniazid regimen (6H) (as a standard regimen for comparison) or 6-week twice-weekly rifapentine and isoniazid regimen (6-week H2P2) in a cohort of 10,000 adults with an average initial age of 50 years.

RESULTS

In the base-case analysis, LTBI testing and treatment with 6H was dominated (i.e., more expensive with a lower quality-adjusted life year (QALY)) by LTBI testing and treatment with 6-week H2P2. LTBI testing and treatment with 6-week H2P2 was more effective than no intervention at a cost of $20,943.81 per QALY gained, which was below the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $24,211.84 per QALY gained in China. The one-way sensitivity analysis showed the change of LTBI prevalence was the parameter that most influenced the results of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs).

CONCLUSION

As estimated by a Markov model, LTBI testing and treatment with 6-week H2P2 was cost-saving compared with LTBI testing and treatment with 6H, and it was considered to be a cost-effective option for TB control in rural China.

Tuberculosis screening characteristics amongst freshmen in Changping District, Beijing, China

BACKGROUND

Screening for Tuberculosis (TB) is a critical tactic for minimizing the prevalence of illness within schools. Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy (TPT), in turn, effectively staves off the development of TB from latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Unfortunately, there is limited research on LTBI and TPT among students. This study aimed to assess LTBI among freshmen in Changping District and advocate for the implementation of TPT.

METHODS

The prospective study collected data from 12 educational institutions within the Changping District of Beijing. The Kolmogorov - Smirnov test and other statistical methods were used for statistical analysis, [Formula: see text] was obtained using the formula [Formula: see text] nΣA2/nRnC-1, df = (C-1) (R-1). We analyzed potential factors impacting the LTBI rate, and scrutinized the possible causes behind the low application of TPT and its efficacy for LTBI treatment, China.

RESULTS

Among 19,872 freshmen included in this study, 18 active TB cases (91 per 10,0000) and 2236 LTBI cases (11.6% of 19,223) were identified, respectively. Furthermore, of those with LTBI, 1045 (5.4% of 19,223) showed a strong positive for purified protein derivative (PPD), but only 312 opted for TB preventive treatment. There appeared to be no significant difference in the prevalence of LTBI and TPT rate between male and female students. Concurrently, 11 (71 per 100,000) and 7 (158 per 100,000) cases of active tuberculosis were identified in 6 universities and 6 higher vocational colleges, respectively. Interestingly, almost all freshmen who underwent TPT came from universities, suggesting a statistically significant disparity in TPT rate (χ2 = 139.829, P < 0.001) between these two types of educational institutions. Meanwhile, as for the age-wise distribution of latent infection among 17-20 years old freshmen, the LTBI rate exhibited 10.5%, 11.6%, 12.1% and 13.5%, respectively. Correlation between LTBI rate, the strong positive rate was statistically significant among different ages (χ2 = 34.559, P < 0.001). Over a follow-up period of 2 years, three students were diagnosed with active tuberculosis, one of which was resistant to rifampicin. All three students manifested a strong positive for PPD and declined preventive treatment during TB screening.

CONCLUSIONS

The data indicates a high rate of LTBI amongst students in areas with a heavy TB burden, potentially leading to cross-regional TB transmission due to the migration of students. Education level might contribute to the limited uptake of TPT. Therefore, improving the implementation of TB preventive treatments is crucial in controlling and preventing TB across schools.

Tuberculosis preventive treatment among individuals with inactive tuberculosis suggested by untreated radiographic abnormalities: a community-based randomized controlled trial

Epidemiological and interventional studies have been rarely conducted among those with positive interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) results and radiologically inactive tuberculosis (TB) lesions on chest radiograph. This study aimed to estimate the effectiveness and safety of a six-week twice-weekly regimen (rifapentine plus isoniazid) among this key population in rural China. First, chest digital radiography was conducted to screen individuals with inactive TB lesions. Then, the identified participants were further evaluated and eligible participants with IGRA-positive results were included in subsequent randomized controlled trial (RCT). Of 44,500 recruited residents, 2,988 presented with radiographically inactive TB among 43,670 with complete results of chest radiography and questionnaire, and 28.61% (855/2,988) tested IGRA positive. Subsequently, 677 eligible participants were included in this RCT (345 in the preventive treatment group and 332 in the untreated control group). The treatment completion rate was 80.00% (276/345), and 11.88% (41/345) participants reported side-effects including two cases of hepatotoxicity (0.58%, 2/345). In the intention-to-treat analysis, the cumulative incidence rate of microbiologically confirmed active TB during a two-year follow-up was 1.16 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03-2.29) in the preventive treatment group and 1.51 (95% CI: 0.20-2.82) in the control group (p = .485). Subgroup analyses showed that the protective rates were 55.42% (95% CI: 10.33-93.07%) and 80.17% (95% CI: 25.36-97.96%) for participants with fibrosis and for those aged ≥60 years, respectively. The expected treatment effect was not observed for the six-week regimen in this study. Future studies with sufficient sample size are needed to verify our findings.

Long-term economic evaluation of the recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein (EC) test for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Background: Tuberculosis continues to be a significant global burden. Purified protein derivative of tuberculin (TB-PPD) is one type of tuberculin skin test (TST) and is used commonly for the auxiliary diagnosis of tuberculosis. The recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein (EC) test is a new test developed in China. Objective: Evaluate the long-term economic implications of using the EC test compared with the TB-PPD test to provide a reference for clinical decision-making. Methods: The target population was people at a high risk persons of being infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The outcome indicator was quality-adjusted life years (QALY). A cost-utility analysis was used to evaluate the long-term economic implications of using the EC test compared with the TB-PPD test. We employed a decision tree-Markov model from the perspective of the whole society within 77 years. Results: Compared with the TB-PPD test, the EC test had a lower cost but higher QALY. The incremental cost-utility ratio was -119,800.7381 CNY/QALY. That is, for each additional QALY, the EC test could save 119,800.7381 CNY: the EC test was more economical than the TB-PPD test. Conclusion: Compared with the TB-PPD test, the EC test would be more economical in the long term for the diagnosis of M. tuberculosis infection according our study.

Recombinant mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein for diagnosis of mycobacterium tuberculosis infection: a short-term economic evaluation

Objectives

Recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein (EC) was anticipated to be used for the scale-up of clinical application for diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in China, but it lacked a head-to-head economic evaluation based on the Chinese population. This study aimed to estimate the cost-utility and the cost-effectiveness of both EC and tuberculin pure protein derivative (TB-PPD) for diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in the short term.

Methods

From a Chinese societal perspective, both cost-utility analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis were performed to evaluate the economics of EC and TB-PPD for a one-year period based on clinical trials and decision tree model, with quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) as the utility-measured primary outcome and diagnostic performance (including the misdiagnosis rate, the omission diagnostic rate, the number of patients correctly classified, and the number of tuberculosis cases avoided) as the effective-measured secondary outcome. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to validate the robustness of the base-case analysis, and a scenario analysis was conducted to evaluate the difference in the charging method between EC and TB-PPD.

Results

The base-case analysis showed that, compared with TB-PPD, EC was the dominant strategy with an incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) of saving 192,043.60 CNY per QALY gained, and with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of saving 7,263.53 CNY per misdiagnosis rate reduction. In addition, there was no statistical difference in terms of the omission diagnostic rate, the number of patients correctly classified, and the number of tuberculosis cases avoided, and EC was a similar cost-saving strategy with a lower test cost (98.00 CNY) than that of TB-PPD (136.78 CNY). The sensitivity analysis showed the robustness of cost-utility and cost-effectiveness analysis, and the scenario analysis indicated cost-utility in EC and cost-effectiveness in TB-PPD.

Conclusion

This economic evaluation from a societal perspective showed that, compared to TB-PPD, EC was likely to be a cost-utility and cost-effective intervention in the short term in China.

Serial testing of latent tuberculosis infection in patients with diabetes mellitus using interferon-gamma release assay, tuberculin skin test, and creation tuberculin skin test

Background

Diabetes mellitus (DM) patients with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) have an increased risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB) due to impaired immunity. The performance of currently available immune response-based assays for identification of TB infection had been rarely evaluated in patients with type 2 DM (T2DM) in China.

Methods

A prospective study was conducted to investigate the status of LTBI in patients with confirmed T2DM. At the baseline survey, the prevalence of LTBI was tested using interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), tuberculin skin test (TST) and creation tuberculin skin test (C-TST) in parallel. After a 3-month interval, the participants were retested by the three assays to estimate their performance in the serial testing.

Results

A total of 404 participants with T2DM were included in the study. At baseline, after excluding active TB, the prevalence of LTBI identified by TST (≥ 10 mm), C-TST (≥ 5 mm) and IGRA (≥ 0.35 IU/ml) were 9.65% (39/404), 10.40% (42/404) and 14.85% (60/404), respectively. The concordance of TST and C-TST results with IGRA results was 86.39% (349/404) and 92.08% (372/404) with a Kappa coefficient of 0.37 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.24- 0.50] and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.53- 0.76), respectively. After a 3-month interval, the continuous results of TST, C-TST and IGRA were observed to be increased with testing conversion for 50, 26 and 27 patients, respectively. For TST and C-TST conversions, the distribution of their quantitative results in serial tests varied significantly when further classified by baseline IGRA dichotomous results.

Conclusion

In studied patients with T2DM, C-TST showed higher consistency with IGRA as compared to TST. The present of conversion observed in serial testing suggested that boosting effect of skin testing should be considered for identify of LTBI in patients with T2DM.

Whole transcriptome sequencing reveals neutrophils’ transcriptional landscape associated with active tuberculosis

Neutrophils have been recognized to play an important role in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis in recent years. Interferon-induced blood transcriptional signatures in ATB are predominantly driven by neutrophils. In this study, we performed global RNA-seq on peripheral blood neutrophils from active tuberculosis patients (ATB, n=15); latent tuberculosis infections (LTBI, n=22); and healthy controls (HC, n=21). The results showed that greater perturbations of gene expression patterns happened in neutrophils from ATB individuals than HC or those with LTBI, and a total of 344 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed. Functional enrichment analysis showed that besides the interferon signaling pathway, multiple pattern recognition receptor pathways were significantly activated in ATB, such as NOD-like receptors and Toll-like receptors. Meanwhile, we also observed that the expression of genes related to endocytosis, secretory granules, and neutrophils degranulation were downregulated. Our data also showed that the NF-κB signaling pathway might be inhibited in patients with ATB, which could increase Mycobacterium tuberculosis survival and lead to active tuberculosis status. Furthermore, we validated the accuracy of some differentially expressed genes in an independent cohort using quantitative PCR, and obtained three novel genes (RBM3, CSRNP1, SRSF5) with the ability to discriminate active tuberculosis from LTBI and HC.

Relationship between DNA Methylation Profiles and Active Tuberculosis Development from Latent Infection: a Pilot Study in Nested Case-Control Design

Individuals with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) were regarded as an enormous reservoir of cases with active tuberculosis (TB). To strengthen LTBI management, biomarkers and tools are urgently required for identifying and ruling out active TB in a fast and effective way. Based on an open-label randomized controlled trial aiming to explore short-course LTBI treatment regimens, DNA methylation profiles were retrospectively detected to explore potential biomarkers, which could discriminate active TB from LTBI. The Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip array was used to analyze genomewide DNA methylation levels for 15 persons with LTBI who later developed active TB and for 15 LTBI controls who stayed healthy. The differentially methylated CpGs (dmCpGs) located in the promoter regions pre- and post-TB diagnosis were selected (P < 0.05 and |Δβ|>0.10) and evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Eight dmCpGs were identified to be associated with TB occurrence; six were located in hypermethylated genes (cg02493602, cg02206980, cg02214623, cg12159502, cg14593639, and cg25764570), and two were located in hypomethylated genes (cg02781074 and cg12321798). ROC analysis indicated that the area under curve (AUC) of these eight dmCpGs ranged from 0.72 to 0.84. Given 90% sensitivity, the specificity was highest for cg14593639 at 66.67%. The combination analysis indicated that “cg02206980 + cg02214623 + cg12159502 + cg12321798” showed the best performance, with an AUC of 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72, 0.97), a sensitivity of 93.33% (95% CI: 70.18%, 99.66%), and a specificity of 86.67% (95% CI: 62.12%, 97.63%). Our preliminary results indicate the potential value of the DNA methylation level as a diagnostic biomarker for discriminating active disease in LTBI testing. This finding requires further verification in independent populations with large sample sizes.

IMPORTANCE Approximately a quarter of the world population had been infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and about 5 to 10% of these individuals might develop active disease in their lifetimes. As a critical component of the “end TB strategies,” preventive treatment was shown to protect 60 to 90% of high-risk LTBIs from developing active disease. Developing new TB screening tools based on blood-based biomarkers, which could identify and rule out active TB from LTBI, are prerequisite before initialing intervention. We tried to explore potential DNA methylation diagnostic biomarkers through retrospectively detected DNA methylation profiles pre- and post-TB diagnosis. Eight dmCpGs were identified, and the combination of “cg02206980 + cg02214623 + cg12159502 + cg12321798” showed a sensitivity of 93.33% and a specificity of 86.67%. The preliminary results provided new insight into detecting the DNA methylation level as a potential tool to distinguish TB from LTBI.