Risk factors associated with large clusters of tuberculosis patients determined by whole-genome sequencing in a high-tuberculosis-burden country.

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis has great discriminative power for detecting similar molecular fingerprints of suspected tuberculosis (TB) clusters. The proportion of TB cases within clusters and the associated risk factors are important epidemiological parameters guiding appropriate outbreak control strategies in endemic settings. We conducted a hospital-based TB case-cohort study between 2003 and 2011 in the northernmost province of Thailand.

Contact tracing for tuberculosis, Thailand.

Problem: Despite implementation of universal health coverage in Thailand, gaps remain in the system for screening contacts of tuberculosis patients.

Approach: We designed broader criteria for contact investigation and new screening practices and assessed the approach in a programme-based operational research study in 2017-2018. Clinic staff interviewed 100 index patients and asked them to give household and non-household contacts an invitation for a free screening and chest X-ray.

Ensuring tuberculosis treatment adherence with a mobile-based CARE-call system in Thailand: a pilot study.

Medication non-adherence in tuberculosis (TB) patients is an obstacle to TB treatment. Directly observed treatment to monitor and ensure adherence still has some limitations in high TB-burden countries. Most digital adherence technologies emphasize medication-taking reminder functions; however, a bi-directional communication platform to provide patient-health workers with an interface that focuses on enhancing medication adherence is likely to improve medical adherence.

High tuberculosis burden among HIV-infected populations in Thailand due to a low-sensitivity tuberculin skin test.

The current Thai guideline recommends that among people living with HIV, isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) should be given to those with a positive tuberculin skin test (TST). We conducted a case-control study, nested within a cohort study, in Chiang Rai Province in Thailand to determine the role of TST in predicting the development of active tuberculosis (TB) within the following 2 years. Comparison between participants with CD4+ counts <50cells/mm to those with CD4+ ≥200cells/mm revealed that TST results were less sensitive (7.

Predicting the risk of pulmonary tuberculosis based on the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio at TB screening in HIV-infected individuals.

Background: The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NL ratio) has been reported to be a predictive biomarker of tuberculosis (TB). We assessed the association between the NL ratio and the incidence of active TB cases within 1 year after TB screening among HIV-infected individuals in Thailand.

Methods: A day care center that supports HIV-infected individuals in northernmost Thailand performed TB screening and follow-up visits.