Whole Genome Sequencing Shows a Low Proportion of Tuberculosis Disease Is Attributable to Known Close Contacts in Rural Malawi.

Background: The proportion of tuberculosis attributable to transmission from close contacts is not well known. Comparison of the genome of strains from index patients and prior contacts allows transmission to be confirmed or excluded.

Methods: In Karonga District, Malawi, all tuberculosis patients are asked about prior contact with others with tuberculosis.

The impact of HIV and ART on recurrent tuberculosis in a sub-Saharan setting.

Objective: To estimate the impact of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the incidence of recurrent tuberculosis (TB) in an African population.

Design: A long-term population cohort in Karonga District, northern Malawi.

Methods: Patients who had completed treatment for laboratory-confirmed TB diagnosed since 1996 were visited annually to record vital status, ART use and screen for TB.

What happens to ART-eligible patients who do not start ART? Dropout between screening and ART initiation: a cohort study in Karonga, Malawi.

Background: Routine ART programme statistics generally only provide information about individuals who start treatment. We aimed to investigate the outcome of those who are eligible but do not start ART in the Malawi programme, factors associated with this dropout, and reasons for not starting treatment, in a prospective cohort study.

Methods: Individuals having a first screening visit at the ART clinic at Karonga District Hospital, northern Malawi, between September 2005 and July 2006 were interviewed.

Tuberculosis transmission attributable to close contacts and HIV status, Malawi.

We conducted the first molecular study of tuberculosis (TB) to estimate the role of household contact and transmission from HIV-positive putative source contacts (PSCs) in a high HIV-prevalence area. TB patients in a long-term population-based study in Malawi were asked about past contact with TB. DNA fingerprinting was used to define clusters of cases with identical strains.

Large-scale candidate gene study of leprosy susceptibility in the Karonga district of northern Malawi.

We present a large case-control candidate gene study of leprosy susceptibility. Thirty-eight polymorphic sites from 13 genes were investigated for their role in susceptibility to leprosy by comparing 270 cases with 452 controls in Karonga district, northern Malawi. Homozygotes for a silent T-->C change in codon 352 of the vitamin D receptor gene appeared to be at high risk (odds ratio [OR] = 4.