Cross-sectional study of prevalence and risk factors, and a cost-effectiveness evaluation of screening and preventive treatment strategies for latent tuberculosis among migrants in Singapore.

Objectives: WHO recommends that low burden countries consider systematic screening and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in migrants from high incidence countries. We aimed to determine LTBI prevalence and risk factors and evaluate cost-effectiveness of screening and treating LTBI in migrants to Singapore from a government payer perspective.

Design: Cross-sectional study and cost-effectiveness analysis.

Doxycycline host-directed therapy in human pulmonary tuberculosis.

BACKGROUNDMatrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are key regulators of tissue destruction in tuberculosis (TB) and may be targets for host-directed therapy. We conducted a phase II double-blind, randomized, controlled trial investigating doxycycline, a licensed broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor, in patients with pulmonary TB.METHODSThirty patients with pulmonary TB were enrolled within 7 days of initiating anti-TB treatment and randomly assigned to receive either 100 mg doxycycline or placebo twice a day for 14 days, in addition to standard care.

Ministry of Health Clinical Practice Guidelines: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has updated the Clinical Practice Guidelines on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to provide doctors and patients in Singapore with evidence-based treatment for COPD. This article reproduces the introduction and executive summary (with recommendations from the guidelines) from the MOH Clinical Practice Guidelines on COPD, for the information of SMJ readers. Chapters and page numbers mentioned in the reproduced extract refer to the full text of the guidelines, which are available from the Ministry of Health website: https://www.

Spatial dynamics of TB within a highly urbanised Asian metropolis using point patterns.

Singapore is a high-income country in a region with a high prevalence of tuberculosis. The Singapore Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination Program (STEP) was set up in 1997, and the better surveillance and clinical management practices initiated under STEP led to a decade-long decline in the incidence levels. However, incidence rates started to rise again since 2008.

Dietary Cholesterol Increases the Risk whereas PUFAs Reduce the Risk of Active Tuberculosis in Singapore Chinese.

Background: Experimental studies suggest that cholesterol enhances the intracellular survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, whereas marine ω-3 (n-3) and ω-6 (n-6) fatty acids (FAs) may modulate responses to M. tuberculosis in macrophage and animal models. However, there are no epidemiologic data from prospective studies of the relation between dietary cholesterol and FAs and the risk of developing active tuberculosis.

Ministry of Health Clinical Practice Guidelines: Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of Tuberculosis.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has developed the clinical practice guidelines on Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of Tuberculosis to provide doctors and patients in Singapore with evidence-based treatment for tuberculosis. This article reproduces the introduction and executive summary (with recommendations from the guidelines) from the MOH clinical practice guidelines on Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of Tuberculosis, for the information of SMJ readers. The chapters and page numbers mentioned in the reproduced extract refer to the full text of the guidelines, which are available from the Ministry of Health website: http://www.

Management of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection: WHO guidelines for low tuberculosis burden countries.

Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is characterised by the presence of immune responses to previously acquired Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection without clinical evidence of active tuberculosis (TB). Here we report evidence-based guidelines from the World Health Organization for a public health approach to the management of LTBI in high risk individuals in countries with high or middle upper income and TB incidence of <100 per 100 000 per year. The guidelines strongly recommend systematic testing and treatment of LTBI in people living with HIV, adult and child contacts of pulmonary TB cases, patients initiating anti-tumour necrosis factor treatment, patients receiving dialysis, patients preparing for organ or haematological transplantation, and patients with silicosis.

First use of bedaquiline in a patient with XDR-TB in Singapore.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose a threat to global control of TB: 3.5% of new and 20.5% of previously treated TB cases were estimated to have multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB in 2013.

Outcome of a grocery voucher incentive scheme for low-income tuberculosis patients on directly observed therapy in Singapore.

Introduction: The 'DOT & Shop' scheme is sponsored by SATA CommHealth, a local non-governmental organisation. It was launched in July 2009, in collaboration with Singapore's Tuberculosis Control Unit (TBCU). Under this scheme, grocery vouchers are disbursed to low-income patients with tuberculosis (TB) at each clinic visit if they have been adherent to directly observed therapy (DOT).

Measurement of phenotype and absolute number of circulating heparin-binding hemagglutinin, ESAT-6 and CFP-10, and purified protein derivative antigen-specific CD4 T cells can discriminate active from latent tuberculosis infection.

The tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release assays (IGRAs) are used as adjunctive tests for the evaluation of suspected cases of active tuberculosis (TB). However, a positive test does not differentiate latent from active TB. We investigated whether flow cytometric measurement of novel combinations of intracellular cytokines and surface makers on CD4 T cells could differentiate between active and latent TB after stimulation with Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific proteins.

Time series analysis of demographic and temporal trends of tuberculosis in Singapore.

Background: Singapore is an intermediate tuberculosis (TB) incidence country, with a recent rise in TB incidence from 2008, after a fall in incidence since 1998. This study identified population characteristics that were associated with the recent increase in TB cases, and built a predictive model of TB risk in Singapore.

Methods: Retrospective time series analysis was used to study TB notification data collected from 1995 to 2011 from the Singapore Tuberculosis Elimination Program (STEP) registry.

Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in Singapore, 2006-2012.

Background: Tuberculosis remains common in Singapore, increasing in incidence since 2008. We attempted to determine the molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) isolates locally, identifying major circulating genotypes and obtaining a glimpse of transmission dynamics.

Methodology: Non-duplicate MTC isolates archived between 2006 and 2012 at the larger clinical tuberculosis laboratory in Singapore were sampled for spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTR typing, with case data obtained from the Singapore Tuberculosis Elimination Program registry database.

Diagnosis and treatment of latent infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

In clinical practice, latent infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis is defined by the presence of an M. tuberculosis-specific immune response in the absence of active tuberculosis. Targeted testing of individuals from risk groups with the tuberculin skin test or an interferon-γ release assay is currently the best method to identify those with the highest risk for progression to tuberculosis.

TB Control in Singapore: the high price of diagnostic delay.

Singapore has experienced a rise in the tuberculosis (TB) incidence rate among her local population since 2008, which we believe, is contributed in no small part to a recent increase in community transmission due to delayed diagnosis of infectious pulmonary TB cases. Data from the TB notification registry showed an increase from 2004 to 2008 in the number and proportion of sputum acid-fast bacilli smear-positive pulmonary TB cases with prolonged cough. Two surveys at the TB Control Unit showed that healthcare system delays exceeded patient delay in seeking medical consultation.

The imminent threat of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Singapore.

The global emergence of multidrugresistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR)-TB threatens to derail the efforts of TB control programmes worldwide. From 2000 to 2010, 161 pulmonary MDR-TB cases (including six XDR-TB cases) were reported in Singapore, and of these, 80% occurred among the foreign-born, with an increasing trend seen after 2004. Among new pulmonary TB cases, the highest incidence of MDR-TB occurred among patients from Myanmar (8%), followed by Vietnam (4.

TB control in Singapore: where do we go from here?

The total number of new tuberculosis (TB) cases notified in Singapore among citizens, permanent residents and foreigners rose by 46% from 2004 to 2010. During this period, the proportion of foreigners increased from 29% to 47% of the total case burden. In 2008, the TB incidence rate among Singapore citizens and permanent residents increased for the first time in ten years, despite the on-going efforts of the Singapore TB Elimination Programme.

Managing a case of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) pulmonary tuberculosis in Singapore.

Introduction: Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is an emerging global health risk. We present the first case report of XDR-TB in Singapore.

Clinical Picture: A 41-year-old Indonesian lady with previously treated pulmonary tuberculosis presented with chronic cough.