Psychosocial wellbeing of patients with multidrug resistant tuberculosis voluntarily confined to long-term hospitalisation in Nigeria.

Background And Objective: Patient isolation, which is a widely successful treatment strategy for tuberculosis (TB), has been suspected to have effects on patient psychosocial wellbeing. We assessed the psychosocial wellbeing of multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) patients in voluntary and isolated long-term hospitalisation in Nigeria.

Methods: 98 accessible and consenting patients in four drug-resistant treatment centres (University College Hospital and Government Chest Hospital, Ibadan; Mainland Hospital, Lagos, and Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital, Calabar) were enrolled in this study.

The hidden costs of installing Xpert machines in a tuberculosis high-burden country: experiences from Nigeria.

Introduction: Since the endorsement of GeneXpert MTB/RIF by the WHO, many countries have embarked on implementing this technology.

Objective: We outline the cost of installing GeneXpert in district hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria.

Methods: We prospectively documented costs related to the installation of GeneXpert at five sites.

Intensive-phase treatment outcomes among hospitalized multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients: results from a nationwide cohort in Nigeria.

Background: Nigeria is faced with a high burden of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Treatment outcomes among MDR-TB patients registered across the globe have been poor, partly due to high loss-to-follow-up. To address this challenge, MDR-TB patients in Nigeria are hospitalized during the intensive-phase(IP) of treatment (first 6-8 months) and are provided with a package of care including standardized MDR-TB treatment regimen, antiretroviral therapy (ART) and cotrimoxazole prophylaxis (CPT) for HIV-infected patients, nutritional and psychosocial support.

Optimising Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection in resource limited settings.

Objectives: The light-emitting diode (LED) fluorescence microscopy has made acid-fast bacilli (AFB) detection faster and efficient although its optimal performance in resource-limited settings is still being studied. We assessed the optimal performances of light and fluorescence microscopy in routine conditions of a resource-limited setting and evaluated the digestion time for sputum samples for maximum yield of positive cultures.

Design: Cross-sectional study.