Tuberculosis

Abstract

Neuroinfection Update TuberculosisOn March 24, 1882 Robert Koch announced the discovery of the cause of tuberculosis (TB), that day is named the World TB day and its main 2015 year message is that globally every year 9 million people get sick with TB and 3 million people don’t get the care they need. TB is second to HIV/AIDS as the greatest killer worldwide by an infectious agent, and causes one fourth of all HIV-related deaths. In 2013 an estimated 480 000 people developed multidrug resistant TB (MDRTB). A study of 14 years period of all TB cases diagnosed in California found that 9% of patients died during antituberculous therapy and one half of deaths occurred before 60 days of treatment in advanced, meningeal and disseminated forms of TB. Patients treated by private care providers had 3 times increase in risk of death, pointing that public health departments need a strong partnership with private care providers for early detection, adequate treatment and follow up of TB patients. Most cases of MDRTB result from inappropriate drug choice, poor adherence or treatment interruptions. MDRTB is a major challenge for TB eradication and the cost of each new case of MDRTB is 10 to 15 times higher than the cost of treatment of a drug sensitive TB case. All new TB patients need an HIV test and all HIV+ patients need screening for TB. When possible, susceptibility to first-line drugs should be performed in all initial isolates of new TB patients. Neuroinfection Update Tuberculosis On March 24, 1882 Robert Koch announced the discovery of the cause of tuberculosis (TB), that day is named the World TB day and its main 2015 year message is that globally every year 9 million people get sick with TB and 3 million people don’t get the care they need. TB is second to HIV/AIDS as the greatest killer worldwide by an infectious agent, and causes one fourth of all HIV-related deaths. In 2013 an estimated 480 000 people developed multidrug resistant TB (MDRTB). A study of 14 years period of all TB cases diagnosed in California found that 9% of patients died during antituberculous therapy and one half of deaths occurred before 60 days of treatment in advanced, meningeal and disseminated forms of TB. Patients treated by private care providers had 3 times increase in risk of death, pointing that public health departments need a strong partnership with private care providers for early detection, adequate treatment and follow up of TB patients. Most cases of MDRTB result from inappropriate drug choice, poor adherence or treatment interruptions. MDRTB is a major challenge for TB eradication and the cost of each new case of MDRTB is 10 to 15 times higher than the cost of treatment of a drug sensitive TB case. All new TB patients need an HIV test and all HIV+ patients need screening for TB. When possible, susceptibility to first-line drugs should be performed in all initial isolates of new TB patients.