Browse Tuberculosis Articles by Topic

Updated Recommendations for Drug-Susceptible and Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

The authors provide an update of recommendations for the treatment of tuberculosis, including cases with drug resistance. The recommendations include the use of newer drugs that have undergone clinical trials and shorter durations of therapy.

Second BCG Dose to Prevent Tuberculosis in Adolescents

Despite a previous study raising the hope that giving Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine to adolescents who previously had received BCG as newborns would better prevent sustained tuberculosis (TB) infections, a new study conclusively demonstrates that revaccination with BCG during adolescence has no statistically significant effect on the incidence of subsequent TB infection or sustained positivity of interferon gamma receptor assay tests.

TB Screening Dismayingly Low in Those at Risk

Screening for latent tuberculosis (TB) infection in persons at risk is woefully lax in our country — and yet, reactivation TB is such an eminently preventable disease.

Shortening the Duration of Tuberculosis Treatment

In patients with rifampin-susceptible tuberculosis, a planned eight-week regimen of bedaquiline plus linezolid together with isoniazid, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide, combined with a careful follow-on strategy, was non-inferior to a standard six-month regimen.

An Effective Oral Regimen for Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis

A multicenter, randomized, controlled, noninferiority clinical trial found a 24-week, all-oral regimen (bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid, and moxifloxacin) to be safe and effective for patients aged 15 years and older with rifampin-resistant tuberculosis.

Multi-State Tuberculosis Outbreak Due to Transmission from an Infected Bone Graft Product

An 80-year-old man with undiagnosed tuberculosis (TB) became a bone tissue donor after his death from a cardiac arrest. Bone graft product was given to 113 recipients in 20 states, of whom three died of TB. All living recipients were started on treatment for TB at a median of 69 days after bone product implementation.

Infectious Disease Alert Updates

Screening for Chagas in HIV; It’s Not All About the Cough; Linezolid and Cycloserine in CSF Adequate

Pediatric Tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is a significant challenge to children's health. Barriers exist at multiple levels of the care system for MTB. Early recognition and involvement of MTB specialists is critical to facilitate the best outcome for pediatric patients. The authors provide a thorough review of the current standards for care of these challenging patients.

Rifampin vs. Isoniazid for Latent Tuberculosis

A health system cost comparison showed that four months of rifampin was safer and less expensive than nine months of isoniazid in high-income countries, medium-income countries, and African countries.

2020 Updated LTBI Treatment Guidelines

A committee recommended three rifamycin-based regimens and two alternate six- or nine-month isoniazid monotherapy regimens for latent tuberculosis infection treatment. They gave priority to shorter-course regimens with similar efficacy, higher rates of completion, and favorable tolerability compared with the former standard nine-month regimen of isoniazid.