Use of Rifapentine and Isoniazid Directly Observed Therapy for the Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection in a Military Clinic.

Abstract

There are 8.6 million cases of active tuberculosis (TB) worldwide, and an estimated one-third of the world population has latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). In the United States, up to 80% of active cases may be caused by untreated reactivated latent infection. A case of TB can spread rapidly impacting the readiness of a unit. To prevent the development of TB, it is critical that active duty service members with LTBI complete treatment. The use of isoniazid (INH) and rifapentine (RPT) as a directly observed therapy (DOT) treatment option was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in late 2011. Since then, there have been limited studies on the use of this treatment regimen in a civilian clinic setting and to our knowledge no studies within a military setting. This study compares the completion rate of LTBI treatment in 2 military public health clinics, using a retrospective chart review of 179 subjects who attempted treatment with INH/RPT DOT and 186 with the non-INH/RPT non-DOT regimen. When compared to other LTBI regimens completed or attempted in this period, completion rates were higher in INH/RPT DOT regimens. The INH/RPT DOT treatment regimen allowed enough flexibility with completion between 11 and 16 weeks for active duty service members to increase completion to 94.6%, compared to 73% in the non-INH/RPT regimen. This project demonstrated the feasibility of INH/RPT DOT treatment within the military population resulting in a higher completion rate than the non-INH/RPT non-DOT regimen. The use of the INH/RPT DOT regimen should be considered for use in all military or similar populations.