In a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers compared the performance of tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) in predicting tuberculosis (TB).

9 April 2024 — In a Rapid Communication issued today, the World Health Organization (WHO) is announcing updates on co-administration of treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis and hepatitis C (HCV). The evidence suggests that concomitant treatment for HCV and multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB) is feasible, with potential benefits outweighing the harms. Co-administration may increase MDR/RR-TB treatment success and reduce failures, losses to follow-up, and deaths. Adherence support for HCV treatment during MDR/RR-TB treatment is also acknowledged.

A new study by researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has found significant and persistent racial disparities in tuberculosis (TB) incidence among US-born residents. The findings were published yesterday in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The flat-dose vs weight-banded-dose cohorts did not differ with respect to TB-related unfavorable outcomes at 9, 12, and 18 months after treatment initiation.

The 1/4/6x24 Campaign and the Stop TB Partnership co-hosted a webinar on 27 March 2024 to launch the Campaign’s new report: Getting Better Faster: Delivering on the Promise of New TB Treatments. The report highlights progress and gaps in scaling up access to shorter, safer TB regimens — one month or once weekly for TB prevention, four months for drug-susceptible TB, and six months for drug-resistant TB — by the end of 2024.

RESIST-TB will host a webinar on 11 April 2024 to present results from the two randomized, controlled trials -- VQUIN and TB-CHAMP -- that used levofloxacin for preventive therapy in adult and pediatric household contacts of people with multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB).

RESIST-TB released its April 2024 newsletter with the latest updates and research publications on drug-resistant TB.

A population-wide observational study to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April) shows an association between tuberculosis (TB) and cancer, with those with current or previous TB more likely to have a diagnosis of a variety of cancers, including lung, blood, gynecological and colorectal cancers.

While India has set the goal of eliminating tuberculosis by 2025, five years ahead of the global target, the recently released government report has been a dampener — the number of cases and deaths recorded in 2023 was nowhere close to the targets that the country had set for itself. But all is not bleak. The Ni-kshay portal, which has been tracking cases, offering quick and accurate tests, has resulted in fewer “missing cases.”

The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease released the March 2024 issue of IJTLD OPEN – a fully-compliant, open access journal to enhance the coverage of TB and lung disease.