An antibody detection-based diagnostic test in a user-friendly format could potentially replace
microscopy and extend tuberculosis diagnosis to lower levels of health services. Dozens of commercial
serological tests for tuberculosis are being marketed in many parts of the world, despite previous systemat...
Conventional light microscopy of Ziehl-Neelsen-stained smears prepared directly from sputum specimens is the most widely available test for diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in resource-limited settings. Ziehl-Neelsen microscopy is highly specific, but its sensitivity is variable (20–80%) and is significa...
Research over the past decade has resulted in the development of two commercial interferongamma release assays (IGRAs), based on the principle that the T-cells of individuals who have acquired TB infection respond to re-stimulation with Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antigens by secreting interferon...
Earlier and improved tuberculosis (TB) case detection - including smear-negative disease, often associated with HIV co-infection - as well as expanded capacity to diagnose multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are global priorities for TB control. Conventional laboratory methods are slow and cumberso...
To improve survival and quality of life among the 2.5 million children living with HIV, a comprehensive package of prevention, care and treatment is required. This package should include management of infections such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria and ear infections, as well as common opportunistic inf...
The World Health Organization (WHO) first published guidance for national
tuberculosis control programmes on managing tuberculosis in children (hereafter
called “the Guidance”) in 2006. The Guidance follows the principles of a public
health approach aimed at optimizing outcomes, including the quality...
This document is an evidence-based policy for the implementation of sound tuberculosis (TB) infection control by all stakeholders. TB infection control is a combination of measures aimed at minimizing the risk of TB transmission within populations. The foundation of infection control is early and rapid d...
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) increasingly occur in resource-constrained settings. In the context of a national response to MDR- and XDR-TB, health workers in TB clinics (in district hospitals and some accredited health centres) will need t...
