Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
PLOS One. 2011 December 1; Volume 6 (Issue 12); DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0028066
Isaakidis P, Cox HS, Varghese B, Montaldo C, Da Silva E, et al.
PLOS One. 2011 December 1; Volume 6 (Issue 12); DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0028066
India carries one quarter of the global burden of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and has an estimated 2.5 million people living with HIV. Despite this reality, provision of treatment for MDR-TB is extremely limited, particularly for HIV-infected individuals. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been treating HIV-infected MDR-TB patients in Mumbai since May 2007. This is the first report of treatment outcomes among HIV-infected MDR-TB patients in India.
Journal Article > Short ReportFull Text
Public Health Action. 2016 June 21; Volume 6 (Issue 2); DOI:10.5588/pha.16.0023
Das M, Isaakidis P, Van der Bergh R, Kumar AMV, Sharath BN, et al.
Public Health Action. 2016 June 21; Volume 6 (Issue 2); DOI:10.5588/pha.16.0023
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
PLOS One. 2015 December 15; Volume 10 (Issue 12); e0144656.; DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0144656
Ardizzoni E, Fajardo E, Saranchuk P, Casenghi M, Page AL, et al.
PLOS One. 2015 December 15; Volume 10 (Issue 12); e0144656.; DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0144656
BACKGROUND
The Xpert® MTB/RIF (Xpert) is an automated molecular test for simultaneous detection of tuberculosis (TB) and rifampicin resistance, recommended by the World Health Organization as the preferred diagnostic method for individuals presumed to have multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) or HIV-associated TB. We describe the performance of Xpert and key lessons learned during two years of implementation under routine conditions in 33 projects located in 18 countries supported by Médecins Sans Frontières across varied geographic, epidemiological and clinical settings.
METHODS
Xpert was used following three strategies: the first being as the initial test, with microscopy in parallel, for all presumptive TB cases; the second being only for patients at risk of MDR-TB, or with HIV- associated TB, or presumptive paediatric TB; and the third being as the initial test for these high-risk patients plus as an add-on test to microscopy in others. Routine laboratory data were collected, using laboratory registers. Qualitative data such as logistic aspects, human resources, and tool acceptance were collected using a questionnaire.
FINDINGS
In total, 52,863 samples underwent Xpert testing from April 2011 to December 2012. The average MTB detection rate was 18.5%, 22.3%, and 11.6% for the three different strategies respectively. Analysis of the results on samples tested in parallel showed that using Xpert as add-on test to microscopy would have increased laboratory TB confirmation by 49.7%, versus 42.3% for Xpert replacing microscopy. The main limitation of the test was the high rate of inconclusive results, which correlated with factors such as defective modules, cartridge version (G3 vs. G4) and staff experience. Operational and logistical hurdles included infrastructure renovation, basic computer training, regular instrument troubleshooting and maintenance, all of which required substantial and continuous support.
CONCLUSION
The implementation of Xpert was feasible and significantly increased TB detection compared to microscopy, despite the high rate of inconclusive results. Xpert implementation was accompanied by considerable operational and logistical challenges. To further decentralize diagnosis, simpler, low-cost TB technologies well-suited to low-resource settings are still urgently needed.
The Xpert® MTB/RIF (Xpert) is an automated molecular test for simultaneous detection of tuberculosis (TB) and rifampicin resistance, recommended by the World Health Organization as the preferred diagnostic method for individuals presumed to have multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) or HIV-associated TB. We describe the performance of Xpert and key lessons learned during two years of implementation under routine conditions in 33 projects located in 18 countries supported by Médecins Sans Frontières across varied geographic, epidemiological and clinical settings.
METHODS
Xpert was used following three strategies: the first being as the initial test, with microscopy in parallel, for all presumptive TB cases; the second being only for patients at risk of MDR-TB, or with HIV- associated TB, or presumptive paediatric TB; and the third being as the initial test for these high-risk patients plus as an add-on test to microscopy in others. Routine laboratory data were collected, using laboratory registers. Qualitative data such as logistic aspects, human resources, and tool acceptance were collected using a questionnaire.
FINDINGS
In total, 52,863 samples underwent Xpert testing from April 2011 to December 2012. The average MTB detection rate was 18.5%, 22.3%, and 11.6% for the three different strategies respectively. Analysis of the results on samples tested in parallel showed that using Xpert as add-on test to microscopy would have increased laboratory TB confirmation by 49.7%, versus 42.3% for Xpert replacing microscopy. The main limitation of the test was the high rate of inconclusive results, which correlated with factors such as defective modules, cartridge version (G3 vs. G4) and staff experience. Operational and logistical hurdles included infrastructure renovation, basic computer training, regular instrument troubleshooting and maintenance, all of which required substantial and continuous support.
CONCLUSION
The implementation of Xpert was feasible and significantly increased TB detection compared to microscopy, despite the high rate of inconclusive results. Xpert implementation was accompanied by considerable operational and logistical challenges. To further decentralize diagnosis, simpler, low-cost TB technologies well-suited to low-resource settings are still urgently needed.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
BMC Infect Dis. 2011 November 24; Volume 11 (Issue 1); DOI:10.1186/1471-2334-11-327
Heiden D, Saranchuk P
BMC Infect Dis. 2011 November 24; Volume 11 (Issue 1); DOI:10.1186/1471-2334-11-327
AIDS-related CMV retinitis is a common clinical problem in patients with advanced HIV/AIDS in China and Southeast Asia. The disease is causing blindness, and current clinical management, commonly characterized by delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment, results in poor clinical outcomes: 21% - 36% of eyes with CMV retinitis are already blind at the time the diagnosis is first established by an ophthalmologist. CMV retinitis also identifies a group of patients at extraordinary risk of mortality, and the direct or indirect contribution of extraocular CMV disease to AIDS-related morbidity and mortality is currently unmeasured and clinically often overlooked. The obvious way to improve clinical management of CMV retinitis is to screen all patients with CD4 counts < 100 cells/μL with indirect ophthalmoscopy at the time they first present for care, and to provide systemic treatment with oral valganciclovir when active CMV retinitis is detected. Treatment of opportunistic infections is an integral part of HIV management, and, with appropriate training and support, CMV retinitis screening and treatment can be managed by the HIV clinicians, like all other opportunistic infections. Access to ophthalmologist has been problematic for HIV patients in China, and although non-ophthalmologists can perform screening, sophisticated ophthalmological skills are required for the management of retinal detachment and immune recovery uveitis, the major complications of CMV retinitis. CMV retinitis has been clinically ignored, in part, because of the perceived complexity and expense of treatment, and this obstacle can be removed by making valganciclovir affordable and widely available. Valganciclovir is an essential drug for developing successful programs for management of CMV retinitis in China and throughout SE Asia.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
AIDS Care. 2008 September 1; Volume 20 (Issue 8); DOI:10.1080/09540120701768446
Moon S, Van Leemput L, Durier N, Jambert E, Dahmane A, et al.
AIDS Care. 2008 September 1; Volume 20 (Issue 8); DOI:10.1080/09540120701768446
Financial access to HIV care and treatment can be difficult for many people in China, where the government provides free antiretroviral drugs but does not cover the cost of other medically necessary components, such as lab tests and drugs for opportunistic infections. This article estimates out-of-pocket costs for treatment and care that a person living with HIV/AIDS in China might face over the course of one year. Data comes from two treatment projects run by Médecins Sans Frontières in Nanning, Guangxi Province and Xiangfan, Hubei Province. Based on the national treatment guidelines, we estimated costs for seven different patient profiles ranging from WHO Clinical Stages I through IV. We found that patients face significant financial barriers to even qualify for the free ARV program. For those who do, HIV care and treatment can be a catastrophic health expenditure, with cumulative patient contributions ranging from approximately US$200-3939/year in Nanning and US$13-1179/year in Xiangfan, depending on the patient's clinical stage of HIV infection. In Nanning, these expenses translate as up to 340% of an urban resident's annual income or 1200% for rural residents; in Xiangfan, expenses rise to 116% of annual income for city dwellers and 295% in rural areas. While providing ARV drugs free of charge is an important step, the costs of other components of care constitute important financial barriers that may exclude patients from accessing appropriate care. Such barriers can also lead to undesirable outcomes in the future, such as impoverishment of AIDS-affected households, higher ARV drug-resistance rates and greater need for complex, expensive second-line antiretroviral drugs.
Journal Article > LetterFull Text
Lancet Global Health. 2014 February 1; Volume 2 (Issue 2); e76-e77.; DOI:10.1016/S2214-109X(13)70174-8
Heiden D, Saranchuk P, Tun NL, Audoin B, Cohn J, et al.
Lancet Global Health. 2014 February 1; Volume 2 (Issue 2); e76-e77.; DOI:10.1016/S2214-109X(13)70174-8
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
S Afr Med J. 2007 July 1
Saranchuk P, Boulle AM, Hilderbrand K, Coetzee D, Bedelu M, et al.
S Afr Med J. 2007 July 1
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of and reduction in diagnostic delay attributable to a clinical algorithm used for the diagnosis of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis (SNPTB) in HIV-infected adults. DESIGN: An algorithm was designed to facilitate clinicoradiological diagnosis of pulmonary TB (PTB) in HIV-infected smear-negative adult patients. A folder review was performed on the first 58 cases referred for empirical TB treatment using this algorithm. SETTING: Nolungile HIV Clinic, Site C, Khayelitsha. SUBJECTS: Subjects included 58 HIV-infected adult patients with suspected PTB consecutively referred to the local TB clinic for outpatient TB treatment using this algorithm between 12 February 2004 and 30 April 2005. OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures were response of C-reactive protein, haemoglobin, weight and symptoms to TB treatment, and TB culture result. Diagnostic delay (in days) was calculated. RESULTS: Thirty-two of the 58 patients (55%) had positive TB cultures (definite TB). Initiation of TB treatment occurred on average 19.5 days before the positive culture report. A further 21 patients (36%) demonstrated clinical improvement on empirical treatment (probable/possible TB). Two patients did not improve and subsequently died without a definitive diagnosis. Three patients defaulted treatment. CONCLUSIONS: SNPTB is more common in HIV-infected patients and leads to diagnostic delay. This algorithm allowed for earlier initiation of TB treatment in HIV-infected patients presenting with symptoms of PTB and negative smears or nonproductive cough in a high TB incidence setting.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
Glob Health Action. 2014 July 30; Volume 7; DOI:10.3402/gha.v7.24861
Khan S, Das M, Andries A, Deshpande A, Mansoor H, et al.
Glob Health Action. 2014 July 30; Volume 7; DOI:10.3402/gha.v7.24861
There are limited data on the failure of second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the use of third-line ART in people living with HIV in resource-limited settings. Since 2011, the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) HIV/tuberculosis programme in Mumbai, India, has been providing third-line ART to patients in care.
Journal Article > LetterFull Text
Arch Pediatr Infect Dis. 2015 July 14; Volume 3 (Issue 3); DOI:10.5812/pedinfect.30400v2
Isaakidis P, Das M, Saranchuk P
Arch Pediatr Infect Dis. 2015 July 14; Volume 3 (Issue 3); DOI:10.5812/pedinfect.30400v2
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
Public Health Action. 2014 March 21; Volume 4 (Issue 1); DOI:10.5588/pha.13.0096
Albuquerque T, Isaakidis P, Das M, Saranchuk P, Andries A, et al.
Public Health Action. 2014 March 21; Volume 4 (Issue 1); DOI:10.5588/pha.13.0096
Background: Mumbai has a population of 21 million, and an increasingly recognised epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). Objective: To describe TB infection control (IC) measures implemented in households of DR-TB patients co-infected with the human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) under a Médecins Sans Frontières programme. Methods: IC assessments were carried out in patient households between May 2012 and March 2013. A simplified,standardised assessment tool was utilised to assess the risk of TB transmission and guide interventions. Administrative, environmental and personal protective measures were tailored to patient needs. Results: IC assessments were carried out in 29 houses.Measures included health education, segregating sleeping areas of patients, improving natural ventilation by opening windows, removing curtains and obstacles to air flow, installing fans and air extractors and providing surgical masks to patients for limited periods. Environmental interventions were carried out in 22 houses. Conclusions: TB IC could be a beneficial component of a comprehensive TB and HIV care programme in households and communities. Although particularly challenging in slum settings, IC measures that are feasible, affordable and acceptable can be implemented in such settings using simplified and standardised tools. Appropriate IC interventions at household level may prevent new cases of DR-TB, especially in households of patients with a lower chance of cure.