VOL.53   /  2024.09.30

No More Siloes - Ending Drug-Resistant TB and Antimicrobial Resistance by 2030!

The World Health Organization (WHO) released updated guidelines on TB preventive treatment (TPT), featuring one new strong recommendation on levofloxacin daily for 6 months as an option for TPT among individuals exposed to multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant TB. WHO has also updated the associated operational handbook on TPT.

The World Health Organization (WHO) released a Rapid Communication announcing upcoming updates to the guidance on the treatment of drug-resistant TB. These updates include a new 6-month regimen based on bedaquiline, delamanid, and linezolid in combination with either levofloxacin or clofazimine or both and a group of 9-month regimens for the treatment of patients with multidrug- or rifampicin-resistant TB without fluoroquinolone resistance. This Rapid Communication is released in advance of updated WHO consolidated guidelines expected in early 2025.

The Supporting, Mobilizing, and Accelerating Research for Tuberculosis Elimination (SMART4TB) Consortium announced the launch of two innovative operational research projects in South Africa to improve TB prevention and early treatment in contacts of people with TB.

TB is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, especially among people living with HIV, but short-course preventive treatments are now more affordable and available, thanks to a locally led consortium working to expand access globally. Read the full visual story at Devex.

The Indian Health Ministry approved the introduction of BPaL/M regimen for the treatment of drug-resistant TB. BPaL/M, consisting of bedaquiline (B), pretomanid (Pa), and linezolid (L), with or without moxifloxacin (M), is a six-month DR-TB treatment regimen with a success rate of 90% or greater. BPaL/M is recommended by the World Health Organization for the treatment of most forms of DR-TB. Source: The Hindu

Salcit Technologies is exploring using Google's Health Acoustic Representations (HeAR) bioacoustic foundation model to enhance early detection of TB based on cough sounds. Trained on about 300 million pieces of audio data, and in particular roughly 100 million cough sounds, HeAR is expected to help the Indian company extend screening for TB more widely across the country. Source: The Economic Times

Researchers found that certain RNA molecules in people with TB are drastically different than those in healthy people. The findings, published in Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids, revealed a potential pathway to bolster the immune system against infection.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) failed to eradicate Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, but it did appear to improve lung function in patients with moderate or far-advanced disease, according to a phase II randomized, controlled trial published in NEJM Evidence.

Research showed a subset of infection-fighting white blood cells, called CD4 T cells, protect the lungs from TB reinfection by creating an anti-inflammatory environment within the lung tissue, rather than secreting molecules that directly kill invading Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease released the September 2024 issue of Public Health Action, a peer-reviewed open access journal, containing TB-related research publications. It can be accessed here.

Despite 25 years of clinical trials, there has been only modest progress in improving treatment of rifampin-susceptible TB. A perspective, published in PLOS Medicine, proposes a shift in the focus of the clinical trials to improvе the safety and acceptability of treatment, rather than treatment-shortening. A focus on safety and acceptability should result in an improvement in both the patient’s experience of treatment and the TB treatment outcomes.

Researchers have found a rare genetic mutation that leaves its carriers much more likely to become ill with TB. It’s long been known that an acquired deficiency of a pro-inflammatory cytokine called TNF is linked to an increased risk of developing TB. The current study revealed the genetic cause of TNF deficiency, as well as the underlying mechanism.

RESIST-TB released its September 2024 newsletter with the latest updates and research publications on drug-resistant TB. Access the newsletter here.

Latest open access TB research publications compiled from various sources can be accessed here. The September 2024 issue of the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD)can be acces here (non-open access).