Tuberculosis Control In China Research Articles

Nutritional supply: The potential simplest vaccine and therapy as tuberculosis control intervention in China

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious disease that previously held the distinction of being the leading cause of mortality prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It imposes a significant burden on a global scale. This disease might potentially impact individuals regular nutritional status and impose financial strain on patients family. This article discuss the current state of TB disease burden in China and India, which serve as representative examples of nations with a high burden of this disease. Next, a discussion was held regarding the implementation of ordinary control interventions in China. Considering nutritional support has gained increasing recognition as a novel intervention in the management and control aspect. The potential feasibility of implementing nutritional support as a novel intervention for TB control in China is discussed in this article, drawing upon the success of a trial conducted in India. However, additional research is required prior to the practical implementation.

RpoB Gene Mutation Characteristics of Rifampicin-resistant Tuberculosis in Anqing, China

Background: Rifampicin resistant tuberculosis is a serious problem faced by tuberculosis control in China, and rapid detection of rifampicin resistance is urgently needed. Objectives: This study aimed to describe the molecular characteristics and frequency of RNA polymerase β subunit (rpoB) gene mutations in rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) in the Anqing area. Methods: The rpoB gene fragment was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and all isolates were sequenced for mutations in the rpoB gene. The mutations were obtained by comparing the sequencing results with the MUBII database. In addition, logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between rpoB mutations and rifampicin (RIF) resistance. Results: There were 152 males and 42 females in this study, and the mean age was 56.60 ± 17.91 years. Mutations in the rpoB gene were a risk factor for rifampicin resistance (β = 5.271, P < 0.001 OR = 195.192). Among the 19 RR-TB strains, 16 (84.21%) had mutations in the ropB gene, and three (1.71%) of 175 rifampicin-sensitive strains were mutated. The mutation sites of five strains (31.58%) were at the codon 526 and five strains (31.58%) at the codon 531. However, there were two strains at the codon 513 and two strains at the codon 533 (15.79%), and two strains (10.53%) were double mutations. Conclusions: The mutation characteristics of the rpoB gene in the Anqing area are complex, and rpoB mutation detection can be used as an indicator to screen drug resistance of RIF.

‘You say you are a TB doctor, but actually, you do not have any power’: health worker (de)motivation in the context of integrated, hospital-based tuberculosis care in eastern China

BackgroundIn China, tuberculosis (TB) care, traditionally provided through the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), has been integrated into ‘designated’ public hospitals at County level, with hospital staff taking on delivery of TB services supported by CDC staff. Little is known about the impact of this initiative on the hospital-based health workers who were delegated to manage TB. Drawing on a case study of two TB ‘designated’ hospitals in Zhejiang province, we explored factors influencing hospital-based health workers’ motivation in the context of integrated TB service delivery.MethodsWe conducted 47 in-depth interviews with health officials, TB/hospital managers, clinicians, radiologists, laboratory staff and nurses involved in the integrated model of hospital-based TB care. Thematic analysis was used to develop and refine themes, code the data and assist in interpretation.ResultsHealth workers tasked with TB care in ‘designated’ hospitals perceived their professional status to be low, related to their assessment of TB treatment as lacking need for professional skills, their limited opportunities for professional development, and the social stigma surrounding TB. In both sites, the integrated TB clinics were under-staffed: health workers providing TB care reported heavy workloads, and expressed dissatisfaction with a perceived gap in their salaries compared with other clinical staff. In both sites, health workers were concerned about poor infection control and weak risk management assessment systems.ConclusionsInadequate attention to workforce issues for TB control in China, specifically the professional status, welfare, and development as well as incentivization of infectious disease control workers has contributed to dissatisfaction and consequently poor motivation to serve TB patients within the integrated model of TB care. It is important to address the failure to motivate health workers and maximize public good-oriented TB service provision through improved government funding and attention to the professional welfare of health workers providing TB care in hospitals.

In the Shadows of the COVID-19 Pandemic

In the Shadows of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on tuberculosis control in China

BackgroundIn response to the COVID-19 epidemic, China implemented a series of interventions that impacted tuberculosis (TB) control in the country. MethodsBased on routine surveillance data and questionnaires, the study analyzed TB notification, follow-up examinations, and treatment outcomes. The data were split into three phases in relation to outbreak, lockdown and reopen when the nationwide COVID-19 response started in 2020: control (11 weeks prior), intensive (11 weeks during and immediately after), and regular (4 additional weeks). Data from 2017–2019 were used as baseline. FindingsThe notified number of TB patients decreased sharply in the 1st week of the intensive period but took significantly longer to rebound in 2020 compared with baseline. The percentages of TB patients undergoing sputum examination within one week after 2 months treatment and full treatment course in the intensive period were most affected and decreased by 8% in comparison with control period. 75•2% (221/294) of counties reallocated CDC and primary health care workers to fight the COVID-19 epidemic, 26•9% (725/2694) of TB patients had postponed or missed their follow-up examinations due to travel restrictions and fear of contracting COVID-19. InterpretationIn the short term, the COVID-19 epidemic mostly affected TB notification and follow-up examinations in China, which may lead to a surge of demand for TB services in the near future. To cope with this future challenge, an emergency response mechanism for TB should be established. FundingNational Health Commission of China–Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation TB Collaboration project (OPP1137180).

Ending tuberculosis in the sustainable development era in China: what are the health system challenges? A mixed-methods study

BackgroundThe UN Sustainable Development Goals include ending the tuberculosis epidemic globally by 2030. China is a high burden country of both drug-susceptible and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. This study examined China's progress in meeting the tuberculosis milestones and targets laid out by the WHO End TB Strategy, and analysed key health system challenges to be overcome towards ending the tuberculosis epidemic in China. MethodsWe used estimates of tuberculosis incidence and number of tuberculosis deaths in China from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 to conduct current situation analysis and a projection for 2030. We also reviewed national strategy and implementation guidelines in relation to tuberculosis control in China. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews, including key-informant interviews with decision makers and policy implementers at national and provincial levels (n=4), and in-depth interviews with experts in tuberculosis control (n=3). Senior researchers invited participants to take part in interviews through personal contacts, and undertook the interviews after obtaining verbal consent from the participants. Thematic analysis was applied to identify themes and develop interpretations. FindingsBetween 1990 and 2016, the estimated tuberculosis incidence declined from 156 cases per 100 000 individuals to 86 cases per 100 000 individuals, and the number of tuberculosis deaths decreased from 178 515 to 40 120, in China. The tuberculosis incidence was projected to drop to 62 cases per 100 000 individuals, and the number of tuberculosis deaths to drop to 17 218 by 2030, both above the WHO 2030 targets of an 80% reduction in tuberculosis incidence (17 cases per 100 000 individuals) and a 90% reduction in the number of tuberculosis deaths (4130), compared with 2015. Of the four key informants, three said that many patients with tuberculosis, particularly multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, suffered from catastrophic payment for tuberculosis care. Qualitative interviews also revealed several key health system challenges in the access to high quality and affordable tuberculosis care, including: (1) insufficient funding and workforce for tuberculosis control; (2) difficulty in scaling up new tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis diagnostic tools; (3) inefficient cooperation across anti-tuberculosis health facilities; and (4) inconsistency among health insurance policies, public hospital reforms, and tuberculosis control strategies. InterpretationChina cannot meet the End TB Strategy targets by 2030, unless synergistic tuberculosis control policies and strategies can be developed and implemented, and multi-sector cooperation can be improved to enhance the delivery of tuberculosis care. FundingThe Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (grant number OOP1148464).

Primary drug resistance among tuberculosis patients with diabetes mellitus: a retrospective study among 7223 cases in China.

BackgroundGiven the high burden of tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in China and the worse outcome of TB-DM cases (refers to TB patients with diabetes), and drug-resistant tuberculosis cases (DR-TB), it is of great significance to explore the association between diabetes and primary DR-TB for TB elimination target in China. We assessed the clinical characteristics, drug-resistance profile, and increased risk of resistance among TB-DM patients across China from 2004 to 2017.Method7223 cases with drug-susceptibility data were collected from Shandong, China. Categorical baseline characteristics of new TB cases were compared by DM status using Fisher’s exact or Pearson Chi-square test. Univariable analysis and multivariable logistic models were used to estimate the association between diabetes and different drug-resistance profiles and the risk factors of primary drug resistance among TB-DM cases.ResultOf 7223 newly diagnosed TB patients, 426 (5.90%) were TB-DM cases. TB-DM csaes were more likely to be older，accompanied by higher body mass index (BMI) and hypertension than TB-no DM cases (refers to TB patients without diabetes). The rates of DR-TB (21.83% vs 16.96%), polydrug resistant TB (PDR-TB, 6.10% vs 3.80%), isoniazid (INH)+streptomycin (SM)-resistant TB (4.93% vs 3.13%), and SM-resistant TB (16.20% vs 11.7%) among TB-DM group were higher than TB-no DM group, P<0.05. DM was significantly associated with any DR-TB (adjusted (aOR):1.30; 95% CI, 1.02–1.65), SM-related resistance (aOR: 1.43; 95% CI, 1.08–1.88), PDR-TB (OR: 1.57; 95% CI, 1.04–2.36; aOR: 1.59; 95% CI, 1.04–2.44), compared with pan-susceptible TB patients (P<0.05).ConclusionOur study indicated that TB-DM groups had a higher proportion of drug resistance than TB groups, and diabetes was identified as a risk factor of total DR, PDR, SM resistance and INH+SM resistance among newly diagnosed TB cases. Good management of diabetes and TB infection screening program among DM patients might be necessary for improving TB control in China.

Genetic diversity and drug susceptibility patterns of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in Yunnan, China.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) which has been threatening global public health for many years. High genetic diversity is dominant feature of Mtb. Increasing cases of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a serious public health problem to TB control in China. Spontaneous mutations in the Mtb genome can alter proteins which are the target of drugs, making the bacteria drug resistant. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the genotype of Mtb isolates from some areas in Yunnan, China and explore the association between genotypes and MDR-TB. Using spoligotyping, we identified Beijing genotypes, six non-Beijing genotypes and a number of orphan genotypes from 270 Mtb isolates from patients in Yunnan Province during 2014–2016. Of 270 Mtb isolates, 102 clinical Mtb strains were identified as drug-resistant (DR) by drug susceptibility testing (DST), among them, 52 MDR strains. Beijing genotypes occupied the highest MDR proportion (78.85%) followed by the orphan genotypes (15.38%). The characteristics of MDR strains showed high genetic diversity. The results will help to efficiently improve diagnosis and treatment and provide valuable information for Mtb molecular epidemiology.

Internal migration and transmission dynamics of tuberculosis in Shanghai, China: an epidemiological, spatial, genomic analysis

Massive internal migration from rural to urban areas poses new challenges for tuberculosis control in China. We aimed to combine genomic, spatial, and epidemiological data to describe the dynamics of tuberculosis in an urban setting with large numbers of migrants. We did a population-based study of culture-positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Songjiang, Shanghai. We used whole-genome sequencing to discriminate apparent genetic clusters of M tuberculosis sharing identical variable-number-tandem-repeat (VNTR) patterns, and analysed the relations between proximity of residence and the risk of genomically clustered M tuberculosis. Finally, we used genomic, spatial, and epidemiological data to estimate time of infection and transmission links among migrants and residents. Between Jan 1, 2009, and Dec 31, 2015, 1620 cases of culture-positive tuberculosis were recorded, 1211 (75%) of which occurred among internal migrants. 150 (69%) of 218 people sharing identical VNTR patterns had isolates within ten single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of at least one other strain, consistent with recent transmission of M tuberculosis. Pairs of strains collected from individuals living in close proximity were more likely to be genetically similar than those from individuals who lived far away-for every additional km of distance between patients' homes, the odds that genotypically matched strains were within ten SNPs of each other decreased by about 10% (OR 0·89 [95% CI 0·87-0·91]; p<0·0001). We inferred that transmission from residents to migrants occurs as commonly as transmission from migrants to residents, and we estimated that more than two-thirds of migrants in genomic clusters were infected locally after migration. The primary mechanism driving local incidence of tuberculosis in urban centres is local transmission between both migrants and residents. Combined analysis of epidemiological, genomic, and spatial data contributes to a richer understanding of local transmission dynamics and should inform the design of more effective interventions. National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Science and Technology Major Project of China, and US National Institutes of Health.

The prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection in rural Jiangsu, China

ObjectivesDiagnosis and interventional treatment of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI) are important components in tuberculosis control. But systematic studies regarding the epidemic of LTBI are still rare in China. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with LTBI based on the results of a domestic TB-specific gamma interferon (IFN-γ) release assay (TB-IGRA) in rural Jiangsu, China. Study designCross-sectional study of subjects registered in eight villages in Jiangsu, China. MethodsThis study was conducted in 2012 in eight villages. After recruitment, individuals with active TB or a history of TB were excluded. The TB-IGRA was performed for diagnosis of LTBI. Results2169 of 2185 subjects met the requirement and were analysed in this study. 524 (24.3%) had a positive result, and positive rate gradually increased with age (P for trend <0.001). Multivariate analyses showed that increasing age, male gender and a history of TB exposure were risk factors associated with LTBI. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination did not reduce the risk of TB infection in participants (aged ≥20 years). ConclusionsThe findings of this study demonstrate that the prevalence of LTBI in China might be overestimated by tuberculin skin test compared with IFN-γ release assay (IGRA). The degree of TB exposure is related to Mycobacterium tubercuium (MTB) infection, and BCG vaccination offers little protection against MTB infection in adults. The early and effective detection and treatment of active TB patients, and screening and intervention for LTBI patients with a high risk of developing active TB could be cost-effective methods for TB control in China.

Identification of populations at high risk of tuberculosis infection in rural China: a population-based, multicentre, prospective study

BackgroundAcquisition and persistence of tuberculosis infection are important epidemiological measurements for evaluation of tuberculosis transmission in a community. However, prospective population data on the incidence of tuberculosis infection have been sparely reported in the global literature. MethodsWe conducted a population-based, multicentre, prospective study to investigate the annual risk of tuberculosis infection and its persistence in rural populations in China from July 2013 to June 2015, using yearly tests with tuberculin skin test (TST) and an interferon-γ release assay (IGRA). Findings15 907 eligible participants from four rural sites (Xiangtan, Hunan province; Zhongmu, Henan Province; Longxi, Gansu Province; Danyang, Jiangsu Province) who were identified as TST-negative (<10 mm) or IGRA-negative in a baseline survey were included in the first year's follow-up examination. 13 580 (85·4%) with completed questionnaires and tests results were included in this study. Annual seroconversion rates among the study sites ranged from 2·1% to 4·9% (average 3·1%) when assessed by IGRA and between 6·0% and 31·1% (14·5%) when assessed by TST. Infection persistence was successfully followed-up in 330 participants who underwent IGRA conversion during the second year of follow-up, 49·7% (164) were found to be consistently IGRA-positive. Both conversion and persistence of IGRA-positivity were increased significantly in association with increasing age (p<0·001 for trend). History of close contact with patients with active tuberculosis and smoking were positively associated with risk of IGRA conversion (adjusted OR 1·54, 95% CI 1·04–2·27, and 1·53, 1·13–2·05, respectively). InterpretationConsistent with published cross-sectional data, the prospective results provide stronger evidence that close contacts, older people, and smokers are high-risk populations for tuberculosis infection in rural China. These groups should be prioritised for tuberculosis control in China and areas with a similar epidemiological profile. The unexpectedly high annual infection rates based on TST could not be explained by local epidemiology and were probably overestimated because of the boosting effect of serial TST testing, BCG vaccination, or environmental mycobacteria. FundingNational Science and Technology Major Project of China (2013ZX10003004-002, 2014ZX10003001-001), and Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University of China (IRT13007).

Occupational challenges of physicians involved in tuberculosis control in China: a qualitative study

BackgroundDespite its dramatic improvement, China's tuberculosis burden is still high according to the 2015 WHO TB report. Evidence show that experienced physicians do better in reducing delay diagnosis and patient mortality and are more likely to follow the treatment guidelines. However, in China, few studies have focused on physicians specialised in tuberculosis; and these few studies were mainly centred on the prevalence and risk factors among them. We assessed the occupational challenges of these physicians in China. MethodsWe conducted 14 focus group discussions in Yichang City of the Hubei Province and in Hanzhong City of the Shaanxi Province, China between May 5, 2013, and Aug 11, 2015. We purposively sampled 169 physicians, 92 from Yichang, to ensure representation and geographical diversity. Health administrators, doctors and nurses, who are currently responsible for the tuberculosis care, were included. Interviewers used open-ended discussion guides concerning occupational risk, workload, work-reward, and challenges encountered. Data were transcribed verbatim and were coded, sorted, and classified by the thematic framework using Nvivo 11.0. Ethical permission was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Findings169 (100%) physicians specialised in tuberculosis considered that they are working in high-risk departments bearing heavy workloads with insufficient compensation. The amount of workload given to the physicians seems to have increased. The integrated approach shifted the clinical tuberculosis care from the CDCs to general hospitals, resulting in hospitals having to do excessive things including detection, diagnosis, and treatment and case management. To facilitate patients' compliance, all of the physicians have also been responsible for the hand out of subsidy and reimbursement. Due to inflexible information system, physicians have to handle patients' information by handwriting all the details on paper. The disunity between the three basic insurances seems to add to this additional workload. 160 (95%) seemed to be discontent with their compensation; they did not feel their reward reflects their increased workload, or sometimes it is even lower than what it was before, resulting in abhorrent attitude. 101 (60%) physicians still worried about occupational exposure and external prejudice, which reflects the high-risk work. InterpretationTo our knowledge, this is the first study focusing on tuberculosis physicians and their benefits. These findings should help policy makers and perfect the tuberculosis control. FundingNatural Science Foundation of China (71203068 and 71573095) and the China National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Gates Foundation TB Project (51914). The funders had no role in the study.

New challenges for tuberculosis control in China.

New challenges for tuberculosis control in China.

Prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in western China in 2010-11: a population-based, cross-sectional survey.

Progress in tuberculosis control in China has been the slowest in western areas, which have the highest prevalence. We assessed the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the Xinjiang province, China, 10 years after introduction of a control programme based on directly observed treatment, short course. In this population-based, cross-sectional survey, we used a multistage stratified random cluster sample design to estimate the prevalence of smear-positive and bacteriologically confirmed (either smear positive or culture positive, or both) pulmonary tuberculosis among adults (aged ≥15 years) in Xinjiang who had been resident in their household for the last 6 months. The screening strategy and diagnosis followed WHO guidelines. We estimated prevalence by combining inverse probability weighting and multiple imputation of missing data. We compared our prevalence survey estimates with the ones from the 2010 China national pulmonary tuberculosis survey and the ones from a provincial pulmonary survey done in Xinjiang in 2000. The new smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis notification rate in 2011 in Xinjiang was obtained to allow the calculation of patient diagnosis rate (PDR). Between Sept 1, 2010, and July 31, 2011, 31 081 individuals were eligible, of whom 29 835 (96·0%) participated in the survey. We identified 50 (0·2%) smear-positive and 101 (0·3%) bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis cases. The weighted prevalence of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis was 170 (95% CI 103-233) per 100 000 people and of bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis was 430 (249-611) per 100 000 people. Compared with 2000 Xinjiang survey estimates, the prevalence of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis has decreased by 26·4% (from 231 [95% CI 148-314] per 100 000 people), whereas the prevalence of bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis has increased by 17·8% (from 365 [237-493] per 100 000 people). In each age group and sex, the pulmonary tuberculosis prevalence was higher in the 2010-11 Xinjiang survey than in the 2010 national survey. The PDR in 2011 was 0·34 (95% CI 0·25-0·44). Despite progress in other parts of China, the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in Xinjiang remains high. The very low PDR suggests poor access to diagnosis and care. Further studies are needed to understand the barriers to diagnosis and care of this population, and efforts are urgently needed to enhance tuberculosis screening in this area. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Health Bureau.

Annual risk of tuberculosis infection in rural China: a population-based prospective study.

Prospective population data on the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) infection has been sparsely reported in the global literature.A population-based prospective study was conducted in rural China to investigate the annual risk of TB infection, and its persistence using serial tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) and an interferon-γ release assay. In total, 13 580 eligible participants from four rural sites, identified as TST negative (<10 mm) or QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) (an interferon-γ release assay) negative from a baseline survey, were included in the first year's follow-up examination.The annual conversion rate of QFT among the study sites ranged between 2.1% and 4.9% (average 3.1%), and the incidence of TST conversion ranged between 6.0% and 31.1% (average 14.5%). During the second year's follow-up, infection persistence was investigated using 390 subjects with QFT conversions. Among them, 49.7% (164 out of 330) were found to be consistently QFT positive. Both the conversion and the persistence of QFT positivity were found to be significantly increased with increasing age.In conclusion, the annual TB infection rate was suggested to be ∼1.5% based on persistent positive results after QFT conversion in rural China. Therefore, infection control among those high-risk populations, including the elderly, should be prioritised for TB control in China.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis control in China: progress and challenges

BackgroundChina has the second highest caseload of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in the world. In 2009, the Chinese government agreed to draw up a plan for MDR-TB prevention and control in the context of a comprehensive health system reform launched in the same year.DiscussionChina is facing high prevalence rates of drug-resistant TB and MDR-TB. MDR-TB disproportionally affects the poor rural population and the highest rates are in less developed regions largely due to interrupted and/or inappropriate TB treatment. Most households with an affected member suffer a heavy financial burden because of a combination of treatment and other related costs. The influential Global Fund programme for MDR-TB control in China provides technical and financial support for MDR-TB diagnosis and treatment. However, this programme has a fixed timeline and cannot provide a long term solution. In 2009, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in cooperation with the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China, started to develop innovative approaches to TB/MDR-TB management and case-based payment mechanisms for treatment, alongside increased health insurance benefits for patients, in order to contain medical costs and reduce financial barriers to treatment. Although these efforts appear to be in the right direction, they may not be sufficient unless (a) domestic sources are mobilized to raise funding for TB/MDR-TB prevention and control and (b) appropriate incentives are given to both health facilities and their care providers.SummaryAlong with the on-going Chinese health system reform, sustained government financing and social health protection schemes will be critical to ensure universal access to appropriate TB treatment in order to reduce risk of developing MDR-TB and systematic MDR-TB treatment and management.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40249-016-0103-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Tuberculosis control in China: use of modelling to develop targets and policies.

It is unclear if current programmes in China can achieve the post-2015 global targets for tuberculosis – 50% reduction in incidence and a 75% reduction in mortality by 2025. Chinese policy-makers need to maintain the recent decline in the prevalence of tuberculosis, while revising control policies to cope with an epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis and the effects of ongoing health reform. Health reforms are expected to shift patients from tuberculosis dispensaries to designated hospitals. We developed a mathematical model of tuberculosis control in China to help set appropriate targets and prioritize interventions that might be implemented in the next 10 years. This model indicates that, even under the most optimistic scenario – improved treatment in tuberculosis dispensaries, introduction of a new effective regimen for the treatment of drug-susceptible tuberculosis and optimal care of cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis – the current global targets for tuberculosis are unlikely to be reached. However, reductions in the incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis should be feasible. We conclude that a shift of patients from tuberculosis dispensaries to designated hospitals is likely to hamper efforts at tuberculosis control if cure rates in the designated hospitals cannot be maintained at a high level. Our results can inform the planning of tuberculosis control in China.

Evaluation of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay for diagnosis of tuberculosis and rifampin resistance in county-level laboratories in Hunan province, China

Background The Xpert MTB/RIF showed high sensitivity and specificity in previous studies carried out in different epidemiological and geographical settings and patient populations in high-burden tuberculosis (TB) countries. However, there were little data obtained by validation or demonstration study of the assay in China. In this study, the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF was investigated in two county-level laboratories in Hunan Province, China. Methods Consecutive patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and suspicion for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) were enrolled. For each patient suspected to have PTB, three sputum specimens (one spot sputum, one night sputum, and one morning sputum) were collected and each sputum was tested with smear microscopy, Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) culture, and Xpert MTB/RIF test. For comparison across subgroups and testing methods, 95% confidence intervals were calculated. All analyses were done with SPSS 16.0, and P &lt;0.05 was regarded as significant. Results For case detection, the sensitivity of Xpert MTB/RIF was 100% for smear- and culture-positive TB and 88.6% for smear-negative and culture-positive TB; the overall sensitivity was 94.5% for all culture-positive patients. The specificity was 99.8%. The sensitivity of Xpert MTB/RIF assay was 22.0% in clinical TB patients and the specificity reached 100.0% in the group of patients who are infected with nontuberculous mycobacteria. For the detection of rifampin resistance, the sensitivity of MTB/RIF RIF-resistance detection was 92.9%, and the specificity was 98.7%. Of the 26 Xpert MTB/RIFpositive and RIF-resistant patients confirmed by LJ proportion tests, 20 (76.9%) patients were infected by MDR-TB. Conclusions The Xpert MTB/RIF assay is a highly sensitive and specific method for diagnosis of TB and RIF resistance, which will enable it to have the potential to be used in county-level laboratories and lead to the reduction of the infectious pool and improvements in TB control in China. Further evaluations in county-level laboratories for implementing the assay are still required.

Cost-effectiveness of the Health X Project for tuberculosis control in China.

Between 2002 and 2008, China's National Tuberculosis Control Programme created the Health X Project, financed in part by a World Bank loan, with additional funding from the UK Department for International Development. To assess the cost-effectiveness of the Project and its impact from a financial point of view on tuberculosis (TB) control in China. A decision-analytic model was used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the Project. Sensitivity analysis was used to assess the impact of different scenarios and assumptions on results. The primary outcome of the study was cost per disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) saved and incremental DALYs saved. In comparison with alternative scenario 1, the Project detected 1.6 million additional cases, 44 000 deaths were prevented and a total of 18.4 million DALYs saved. The Project strategies cost approximately Chinese yuan (CNY) 953 per DALY saved (vs. CNY1140 in the control areas), and saved an estimated CNY17.5 billion in comparison with the unchanged alternative scenario (scenario 1) or CNY10.8 billion with the control scenario (scenario 2). The Project strategies were affordable and of comparable cost-effectiveness to those of other developing countries. The results also provide strong support for the existing policy of scaling up DOTS in China.

Measuring Progress in TB Control in China

In 2001, China issued a new national tuberculosis (TB) control program that expanded the directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) program