British Thoracic Society Guideline for the management of non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD).

The full guideline for the management of non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease is published in . The following is a summary of the recommendations and good practice points. The sections referred to in the summary refer to the full guideline.

High prevalence of TB disease in contacts of adults with extrapulmonary TB.

UK guidelines no longer recommend routine screening of household contacts of adult patients with extrapulmonary TB (EPTB). From 27 March 2012 to 28 June 2016, we investigated the prevalence of active TB disease in household contacts of 1023 EPTB index cases in North West England, and compared estimates with: published new entrant migrant screening programme prevalence (~147/100 000 person-years); London-based contact screening data (700/100 000 contacts screened); and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) new entrant TB screening thresholds (TB prevalence >40/100 000 people). Active TB disease prevalence in EPTB contacts was 440/100 000 contacts screened, similar to UK new entrant screening programmes, London EPTB contact prevalence and >10 times NICE's threshold for new entrant screening.

Evaluating 17 years of latent tuberculosis infection screening in north-west England: a retrospective cohort study of reactivation.

Approximately 72% of tuberculosis (TB) cases in England occur among non-UK born individuals, mostly as a result of reactivation of latent TB infection (LTBI). Programmatic LTBI screening is a key intervention of the TB strategy for England. This article reviews the results of a long-standing LTBI screening initiative in England.

Drug therapy for children with tuberculosis.

The scientific basis of drug treatment for both active tuberculosis (TB) disease and TB infection, has been established, with treatment in children being largely extrapolated from adult active disease trials. It is essential that active TB disease is excluded before asymptomatic TB infection is diagnosed and treated. Nearly half of all children with active TB disease are found as asymptomatic tuberculin, or interferon gamma release assay (IGRA), positive contacts on screening by local TB services, usually of sputum TB microscopy positive adult relatives or other index cases, but with evidence of lung infiltrate or mediastinal lymphadenopathy on the child's chest x-ray.

Screening of immigrants in the UK for imported latent tuberculosis: a multicentre cohort study and cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background: Continuing rises in tuberculosis notifications in the UK are attributable to cases in foreign-born immigrants. National guidance for immigrant screening is hampered by a lack of data about the prevalence of, and risk factors for, latent tuberculosis infection in immigrants. We aimed to determine the prevalence of latent infection in immigrants to the UK to define which groups should be screened and to quantify cost-effectiveness.

Increasing reports of non-tuberculous mycobacteria in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 1995-2006.

Background: Non-tuberculous mycobacteria have long been identified as capable of causing human disease and the number at risk, due to immune-suppression, is rising. Several reports have suggested incidence to be increasing, yet routine surveillance-based evidence is lacking. We investigated recent trends in, and the epidemiology of, non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 1995-2006.

Guidelines for the prevention and management of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease in adult patients with chronic kidney disease.

Guidelines have been compiled by the Joint Tuberculosis Committee of the British Thoracic Society for the prevention and management of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease in patients with all grades of renal impairment.

A survey of tuberculosis clinic provision in England and Wales.

Background: This paper presents the methods and findings of a survey of current service configuration in tuberculosis screening, treatment and prevention in England and Wales, which was conducted as part of the development of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on tuberculosis for the country.

Methods: A random sample of health protection units (HPUs) was surveyed (stratified geographically) in England. For Wales, National Health Service boundaries were used.

Role of surgery in pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Feasible in the context of a good national programme in resource‐limited settings, but doubts remain over how widely this may be able to be implemented

Assessing risk and managing Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease in patients due to start anti-TNFalpha treatment.

This short paper describes the rationale being applied in the United Kingdom to the problem of treating latent TB infection in persons requiring anti-TNF-alpha treatment. This will largely have to be done by an individual risk/benefit analysis based on the risks of developing disease from national epidemiology compared with the risks of significant hepatotoxicity from treatment of latent infection.