A multicountry evaluation of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay for the diagnosis of intrathoracic tuberculosis in children using alternative specimens (nasopharyngeal aspirate and stool): A prospective cohort study conducted in Madagascar, Ivory Coast and Cameroon (TB KIDS project).

Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis in children remains challenging due to the paucibacillary nature of specimens and the difficulty in obtaining suitable samples. The use of alternative samples like nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) and stools, alongside Xpert MTB/RIF testing, offers promising improvements. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of the Xpert MTB/RIF test on NPA and stool samples for detecting intrathoracic TB in children from Madagascar, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast.

Etiologies, Risk Factors and Impact of Severe Diarrhea in the Under-Fives in Moramanga and Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Background: Diarrheal disease remains a leading cause of death in children in low-income countries. We investigated the etiology, risk factors and effects on nutritional status of severe diarrhea in children from two districts in Madagascar.

Methods: We performed a matched case-control study in 2011 to 2014, on children under the age of five years from Moramanga and Antananarivo.