Endogenous reactivation cases identified by whole genome sequencing of : Exploration of possible causes in Latvian tuberculosis patients.

Background: The recurrence of tuberculosis (TB) continues to place a significant burden on patients and TB programs worldwide. Repeated TB episodes can develop either due to endogenous reactivation of previously treated TB or exogenous reinfection with a distinct strain of (Mtb). Determining the precise cause of the recurrent TB episodes and identifying reasons for endogenous reactivation of previously successfully treated patients is crucial for introducing effective TB control measures.

TB management in the European Union/European Economic Area: a multi-centre survey.

Essential TB care in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) comprises 21 standards for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of TB that constitute the European Union Standards for Tuberculosis Care (ESTC). In 2017, we conducted an audit on TB management and infection control measures against the ESTC standards. TB reference centres in five EU/EEA countries were purposely selected to represent the heterogeneous European TB burden and examine geographic variability.

Healthcare delivery for HIV-positive people with tuberculosis in Europe.

Background: In a 2013 survey, we reported distinct discrepancies in delivery of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV services in eastern Europe (EE) vs. western Europe (WE).

Objectives: To verify the differences in TB and HIV services in EE vs.

Analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis genetic lineages circulating in Riga and Riga region, Latvia, isolated between 2008 and 2012.

Although the number of new tuberculosis (TB) cases registered per year has decreased by 3-fold between 2001 and 2017 in Latvia, the TB incidence and rates of multidrug resistant TB in this Baltic country remain substantially higher than in most other European countries. Molecular typing methods of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) play an important role both in clinical studies of the disease and the epidemiological investigations, allowing to describe and characterize the pathogen's population structure and spread of particular genotypes. Aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of MTB lineages in Riga and Riga region of Latvia within a five-year period (2008-2012), and to evaluate the discriminatory power (DP) of spoligotyping, standard 24-locus MIRU-VNTR and IS6110-RFLP methods in this setting.

"Treatment is of primary importance, and social assistance is secondary": A qualitative study on the organisation of tuberculosis (TB) care and patients' experience of starting and staying on TB treatment in Riga, Latvia.

Background: Vulnerable individuals with tuberculosis (TB) struggle to access and stay on treatment. While patient-related and social barriers to TB treatment adherence are well documented, less is known about how the organisation and delivery of TB care influences adherence behaviour.

Aim: To examine the influence of TB service organisation and culture on patients' experience of starting and staying on treatment in Riga, Latvia.