VOL.52   /  2024.09.06

The Stop TB Partnership, Country-Level Platform Partnerships – Stories from the field of July 2024

Welcome to the Stop TB Partnership Photo Exhibition

The World Health Organization (WHO) released updated Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for tuberculosis diagnosis and detection of drug resistance. The TPPs define the most important characteristics and requirements to be considered in the development of new TB diagnostics.

In a concerted effort to advance work towards achieving the long-term goal of eliminating TB, the World Health Organization (WHO) has initiated efforts to support countries during the validation of TB elimination, alongside establishing necessary governance structures to monitor progress. Read more here.

The Global Coalition of TB Advocates (GCTA) released an updated version of its community friendly brochure 'TB preventive treatment: How to protect ourselves from TB'. The revision incorporates the latest advancements and insights in TB prevention, aiming to empower and educate the communities about effective strategies to combat TB. The brochure can be accessed here in different languages.

For 2022, the 30 countries in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) reported a total of 36 179 TB cases (8.0 per 100 000 population). Access Tuberculosis - Annual epidemiological report for 2022 here.

Most TB tests still require a trip to the clinic. Now, new technology has made it possible to test people at home. This could be a big deal for South Africa, where much TB goes undiagnosed. An article in Spotlight unpacks the findings and implications of a recent study into such TB home testing.

In a comparative study, published in The Lancet Digital Health, researchers assessed 12 computer-aided detection software products for diagnosing TB on chest radiographs in a South African patient population with a high TB and HIV burden.

In a report, published in Nature Communications, investigators presented new regimens, mainly composed of antibiotics already approved for other uses, or antibiotics currently in clinical trials, that have the potential to treat people with multidrug-resistant TB meningitis.

Patients with TB who used tobacco faced a heightened risk for disease recurrence/relapse and death during treatment, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in CHEST.

A high prevalence of TB was observed among individuals in close contact with patients infected with drug-resistant TB, indicating the need to improve TB screening efforts. The results of a systematic review and meta-analysis were published in the Journal of Infection.

Researchers have succeeded in identifying and synthesising a group of molecules (callyaerins) that can act against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a new way. The study results were published in Cell Chemical Biology.

For some forms of TB, the chances that an exposed person will get infected depend on whether the individual and the bacteria share a hometown, according to a new study comparing how different strains move through mixed populations in cosmopolitan cities.

Using an online Delphi process, stakeholders from academia, industry, government, funding agencies, and advocacy achieved consensus on an approach to include children and adolescents in TB diagnostic tool development and evaluation. The consensus-based framework is published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

TB activists co-founded the 1/4/6×24 Campaign to demand the universal implementation of shorter and more effective TB regimens: as little as one month or once weekly for TB prevention, four four months for drug-sensitive TB, and six months for drug-resistant TB by the end of 2024. An op-ed in PLOS Global Public Health lays out what action steps are needed on the part of governments, global health actors, funders, researchers, and product developers to make this happen.

A study published in Nature Communications showed how Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) revaccination in adolescents boosts the identification of CD4+ T cell subsets, which may play a crucial role in immune protection against TB infection.

Circulating cell-free RNA (cfRNA) in blood can potentially be harnessed as a host-response biomarker for TB. Published in Nature Communications, a proof-of-concept study suggested possible utility of plasma cfRNA for TB diagnosis and treatment. More work is needed to further validate these biomarkers in terms of their clinical effectiveness and practicability.

The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease released the August 2024 issue, of the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD). It includes TB-related research publications.

The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease released the August 2024 issue of IJTLD OPEN – a fully-compliant, open access journal to enhance the coverage of TB and lung disease. IJTLD OPEN August 2024 issue can be accessed here.

The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease released the July 2024 issue of IJTLD OPEN – a fully-compliant, open access journal to enhance the coverage of TB and lung disease. IJTLD OPEN July 2024 issue can be accessed here.

The RESIST-TB August 2024 newsletter with the latest updates and research publications on drug-resistant TB can be accessed here.