
LITERATURE AND PUBLICATIONS
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RECENT PUBLICATIONS
From our April Newsletter
1. Update of drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment guidelines: A turning point.
Int J Infect Dis. 2023 Mar 12:S1201-9712(23)00089-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.03.013. Online ahead of print.
Vanino E(1), Granozzi B(2), Akkerman OW(3), Munoz-Torrico M(4), Palmieri F(5), Seaworth B(6), Tiberi S(7), Tadolini M(8).
In December 2022 World Health Organization released a new treatment for multidrug resistant/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) guideline. The main novelty of this update is two new recommendations (i) a 6-month treatment regimen composed of bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid (600 mg), and moxifloxacin (BPaLM) is recommended in place of the 9 month or longer (18-month) regimens in MDR/RR-TB patients, now including extensive pulmonary TB and extrapulmonary TB (except TB involving central nervous system, miliary TB and osteoarticular TB); (ii) the use of the 9-month all-oral regimen rather than longer (18-months) regimen is suggested in patients with MDR/RR-TB and in whom resistance to fluoroquinolones has been excluded. Longer (18-month) treatments remain a valid option in all cases in which shorter regimens cannot be implemented due to intolerance, drug-drug interactions, extensively
drug-resistant tuberculosis, extensive forms of extrapulmonary TB, or previous failure. The new guidelines represent a milestone in MDR/RR-TB treatment landscape, setting the basis for a shorter, all-oral, more acceptable, equitable, and patient-centered model for MDR/RR-TB management. However, some challenges remain to be addressed to allow full implementation of the new recommendations.
Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.03.013
PMID: 36918080
2. Prevalence and factors associated with reported adverse-events among patients on multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment in two referral hospitals in Uganda.
BMC Infect Dis. 2023 Mar 10;23(1):149. doi: 10.1186/s12879-023-08085-3.
Ategyeka PM(1), Muhoozi M(2)(3), Naturinda R(2), Kageni P(4), Namugenyi C(5), Kasolo A(6), Kisaka S(2)(7)(8), Kiwanuka N(2).
BACKGROUND: Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment involves toxic drugs that cause adverse events (AEs), which are life-threatening and may lead to death if not well managed. In Uganda, the prevalence of MDR-TB is increasingly high, and about 95% of the patients are on treatment. However, little is known about the prevalence of AEs among patients on MDR-TB medicines. We therefore estimated the prevalence of reported adverse events (AEs) of MDR-TB drugs and factors associated with AEs in two health facilities in Uganda.
METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of MDR-TB was conducted among patients enrolled at Mulago National Referral and Mbarara Regional Referral hospitals in Uganda. Medical records of MDR-TB patients enrolled between January 2015 and December 2020 were reviewed. Data on AEs, which were defined as irritative reactions to MDR-TB drugs, were extracted and analyzed. To describe reported AEs, descriptive statistics were computed. A modified Poisson regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with reported AEs.
RESULTS: Overall, 369 (43.1%) of 856 patients had AEs, and 145 (17%) of 856 had more than one. Joint pain (244/369, or 66%), hearing loss (75/369, or 20%), and vomiting (58/369, or 16%) were the most frequently reported effects. Patients started on the 24-month regimen (adj. PR = 1.4, 95%; 1.07, 1.76) and individualized regimens (adj. PR = 1.5, 95%; 1.11, 1.93) were more likely to suffer from AEs. Lack of transport for clinical monitoring (adj. PR = 1.9, 95%; 1.21, 3.11); alcohol consumption (adj. PR = 1.2, 95%; 1.05, 1.43); and receipt of directly observed therapy from peripheral health facilities (adj. PR = 1.6, 95%; 1.10, 2.41) were significantly associated with experiencing AEs. However, patients who received food supplies (adj. PR = 0.61, 95%; 0.51, 0.71) were less likely to suffer from AEs.
CONCLUSION: The frequency of adverse events reported by MDR-TB patients is considerably high, with joint pain being the most common. Interventions such as the provision of food supplies, transportation, and consistent counseling on alcohol consumption to patients at initiation treatment facilities may contribute to a reduction in the rate of occurrence of AEs.
© 2023. The Author(s).
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08085-3
PMCID: PMC9999637
PMID: 36899299 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
3. Impact of COVID-19 on diagnosis of TB, MDR-TB and on mortality in 11 countries in Europe, Northern America and Australia. A Global Tuberculosis Network study.
Int J Infect Dis. 2023 Mar 7:S1201-9712(23)00076-0. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.02.025. Online ahead of print.
Nalunjogi J(1), Mucching-Toscano S(2), Sibomana JP(3), Centis R(4), D'Ambrosio L(5), Alffenaar JW(6), Denholm J(7), Blanc FX(8), Borisov S(9), Danila E(10), Duarte R(11), García-García JM(12), Goletti D(13), Ong CWM(14), Rendon A(15), Thomas TA(16), Tiberi S(17), van den Boom M(18), Sotgiu G(19), Migliori GB(20); Global Tuberculosis Network.
OBJECTIVE: Although evidence is growing on the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis (TB) services, global studies based on national data are needed to better quantify the extent of the impact and the countries' preparedness to tackle the two diseases. The aim of this study was to compare the number of people with new diagnosis or recurrence of TB disease, the number of drug-resistant (DR)-TB, and the number of TB deaths in 2020 versus 2019 in 11 countries in Europe, Northern America and Australia.
METHODS: TB managers or directors of national reference centres of the selectedcountries provided the agreed-upon variables through a validated questionnaire on a monthly basis. A descriptive analysis compared incidence of TB and drug-resistant TB and mortality of the pre-COVID-19 year (2019) versus the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020).
RESULTS: Comparing 2020 vs 2019, lower number of TB cases (new diagnosis or recurrence) was notified in all countries (except USA-Virginia and Australia), and less DR-TB notifications (apart from France, Portugal and Spain). The deaths among TB cases were higher in 2020 compared to 2019 in most countries with three countries (France, Netherlands, USA-Virginia) reporting minimal TB-related mortality.
Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.02.025
PMCID: PMC9991328
PMID: 36893943
4. Factors associated with prevalent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease among adolescents and adults exposed to rifampin-resistant tuberculosis in the household.
PLoS One. 2023 Mar 17;18(3):e0283290. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283290. eCollection 2023.
Kim S(1), Hesseling AC(2), Wu X(3), Hughes MD(3), Shah NS(4), Gaikwad S(5), Kumarasamy N(6), Mitchell E(7), Leon M(8), Gonzales P(9), Badal-Faesen S(10), Lourens M(11), Nerette S(12), Shenje J(13), de Koker P(2), Nedsuwan S(14), Mohapi L(15), Chakalisa UA(16), Mngqbisa R(17), Escada RODS(18), Ouma S(19), Heckman B(20), Naini L(21), Gupta A(22), Swindells S(23), Churchyard G(24); ACTG A5300/IMPAACT 2003 PHOENIx Feasibility Study Team.
BACKGROUND: Understanding factors associated with prevalent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and prevalent TB disease in household contacts of patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) may be useful for TB program staff conducting contact investigations.
METHODS: Using data from a cross-sectional study that enrolled index participants with rifampin-resistant pulmonary TB and their household contacts (HHCs), we evaluated HHCs age ≥15 years for factors associated with two outcomes: Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and TB disease. Among HHCs who were not already diagnosed with current active TB disease by the TB program, Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection was determined by interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA). TB disease was adjudicated centrally. We fitted logistic regression models using generalized estimating equations.
RESULTS: Seven hundred twelve HHCs age ≥15 years enrolled from 279 households in eight high-TB burden countries were a median age of 34 years, 63% female, 22% current smokers and 8% previous smokers, 8% HIV-positive, and 11% previously treated for TB. Of 686 with determinate IGRA results, 471 tested IGRA positive (prevalence 68.8% (95% Confidence Interval: 64.6%, 72.8%)). Multivariable modeling showed IGRA positivity was more common in HHCs aged 25-49 years; reporting prior TB treatment; reporting incarceration, substance use, and/or a period of daily alcohol use in the past 12 months; sharing a sleeping room or more evenings spent with the index participant; living with smokers; or living in a home of materials typical of low socioeconomic status. Forty-six (6.5% (95% Confidence Interval: 4.6%, 9.0%)) HHCs age ≥15 years had prevalent TB disease. Multivariable modeling showed higher prevalence of TB disease among HHCs aged ≥50 years; reporting current or previous smoking; reporting a period of daily alcohol use in the past 12 months; and reporting prior TB treatment.
CONCLUSION: We identified overlapping and distinct characteristics associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and TB disease that may be useful for those conducting household TB investigations.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283290
PMCID: PMC10022776
PMID: 36930628 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
5. Stable, compounded bedaquiline suspensions to support practical implementation of pediatric dosing in the field.
Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2023 Mar 1;27(3):189-194. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.22.0440.
Taneja R(1), Nahata MC(2), Scarim J(3), Pande PG(1), Scarim A(3), Hoddinott G(4), Fourie CL(5), Jew RK(6), Schaaf HS(4), Garcia-Prats AJ(7), Hesseling AC(4).
BACKGROUND: Bedaquiline (BDQ) tablets are indicated as part of a combination regimen for the treatment of multidrug-resistant TB in adults, adolescents and children. A dispersible tablet formulation is now approved but is not currently available in all settings. The aim of this study was to develop stable extemporaneous liquid formulations of BDQ that can be stored at room temperature or 30°C for several weeks, to support pragmatic pediatric dosing in the field and reduce wastage.
METHODS: BDQ tablets were suspended in simple syrup and a sugar-free vehicle. Each 20 mg/mL formulation was stored at room temperature or 30°C for 30 days in amber dispensing bottles. Appearance, BDQ potency, pH and microbial counts were determined on Days 0, 15 and 30.
RESULTS: The BDQ potency in both formulations remained at 98-101% of the theoretical concentration for 30 days. The appearance, pH and microbial count of sugar-free formulation did not change during the 30-day storage. The simple syrup formulation was stable for 15 days as microbial growth was observed on Day 30.
CONCLUSIONS: BDQ may be prepared in syrup or sugar-free suspensions: syrup suspensions can be stored for 15 days at room temperature and 30C, whereas sugar-free suspensions can be stored for 30 days at room temperature and 30C. This information will support practical BDQ dosing for children in the field.
DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.22.0440
PMCID: PMC9983625
PMID: 36855042 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
From our March Newsletter
1. Designing molecular diagnostics for current tuberculosis drug regimens.
Emerg Microbes Infect. 2023 Feb 8:2178243. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2178243. Online ahead of print.
Georghiou SB(1), de Vos M(1), Velen K(1), Miotto P(2), Colman RE(1)(3), Cirillo DM(2), Ismail N(4), Rodwell TC(1)(3), Suresh A(1), Ruhwald M(1).
Diagnostic development must occur in parallel with drug development to ensure the longevity of new treatment compounds. Despite an increasing number of novel and repurposed anti-tuberculosis compounds and regimens, there remains a large number of drugs for which no rapid and accurate molecular diagnostic option exists. The lack of rapid drug susceptibility testing for linezolid, bedaquiline, clofazimine, the nitroimidazoles (i.e pretomanid and delamanid) and pyrazinamide at any level of the healthcare system compromises the effectiveness of current tuberculosis and drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment regimens. In the context of current WHO tuberculosis treatment guidelines as well as promising new regimens, we identify the key diagnostic gaps for initial and follow-on tests to diagnose emerging drug resistance and aid in regimen selection. Additionally, we comment on potential gene targets for inclusion in rapid molecular drug susceptibility assays and sequencing assays for novel and repurposed drug compounds currently prioritized in current regimens, and evaluate the feasibility of mutation detection given the design of existing technologies. Based on current knowledge, we also propose design priorities for next generation molecular assays to support triage of tuberculosis patients to appropriate and effective treatment regimens. We encourage assay developers to prioritize development of these key molecular assays and support the continued evolution, uptake, and utility of sequencing to build knowledge of tuberculosis resistance mechanisms and further inform rapid treatment decisions in order to curb resistance to critical drugs in current regimens and achieve End TB targets. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05117788.
DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2178243
PMID: 36752055
2. Variation in missed doses and reasons for discontinuation of anti-tuberculosis drugs during hospital treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis in South Africa.
PLoS One. 2023 Feb 13;18(2):e0281097. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281097. eCollection 2023.
Pietersen E(1), Anderson K(1)(2), Cox H(3), Dheda K(1)(4), Bian A(5), Shepherd BE(5), Sterling TR(6)(7), Warren RM(8), van der Heijden YF(6)(7)(9).
BACKGROUND: Updated World Health Organization (WHO) treatment guidelines prioritize all-oral drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) regimens. Several poorly tolerated drugs, such as amikacin and para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS), remain treatment options for DR-TB in WHO-recommended longer regimens as Group C drugs. Incomplete treatment with anti-TB drugs increases the risk of treatment failure, relapse, and death. We determined whether missed doses of individual anti-TB drugs, and reasons for their discontinuation, varied in closely monitored hospital settings prior to the 2020 WHO DR-TB treatment guideline updates.
METHODS: We collected retrospective data on adult patients with microbiologically confirmed DR-TB between 2008 and 2015 who were selected for a study of acquired drug resistance in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Medical records through mid-2017 were reviewed. Patients received directly observed treatment during hospitalization at specialized DR-TB hospitals. Incomplete treatment with individual anti-TB drugs, defined as the failure to take medication as prescribed, regardless of reason, was determined by comparing percent missed doses, stratified by HIV status and DR-TB regimen. We applied a generalized mixed effects model.
RESULTS: Among 242 patients, 131 (54%) were male, 97 (40%) were living with HIV, 175 (72%) received second-line treatment prior to first hospitalization, and 191 (79%) died during the study period. At initial hospitalization, 134 (55%)
patients had Mycobacterium tuberculosis with resistance to rifampicin and isoniazid (multidrug-resistant TB [MDR-TB]) without resistance to ofloxacin or amikacin, and 102 (42%) had resistance to ofloxacin and/or amikacin. Most patients (129 [53%]) had multiple hospitalizations and DST changes occurred in 146 (60%) by the end of their last hospital discharge. Incomplete treatment was significantly higher for amikacin (18%), capreomycin (18%), PAS (17%) and kanamycin (16%) than other DR-TB drugs (P<0.001), including ethionamide (8%), moxifloxacin (7%), terizidone (7%), ethambutol (7%), and pyrazinamide (6%). Among the most frequently prescribed drugs, second-line injectables had the highest rates of discontinuation for adverse events (range 0.56-1.02 events per year follow-up), while amikacin, PAS and ethionamide had the highest rates of discontinuation for patient refusal (range 0.51-0.68 events per year follow-up). Missed doses did not differ according to HIV status or anti-TB drug combinations.
CONCLUSION: We found that incomplete treatment for second-line injectables and PAS during hospitalization was higher than for other anti-TB drugs. To maximize treatment success, interventions to improve person-centered care and mitigate adverse events may be necessary in cases when PAS or amikacin (2020 WHO recommended Group C drugs) are needed.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281097
PMCID: PMC9925007
PMID: 36780443 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
3. Non-actionable Results, Accuracy, and Effect of First- and Second-line Line Probe Assays for Diagnosing Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis, Including on Smear-Negative Specimens, in a High-Volume Laboratory.
Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Feb 8;76(3):e920-e929. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac556.
Pillay S(1)(2), de Vos M(1), Derendinger B(1), Streicher EM(1), Dolby T(2), Scott LA(1), Steinhobel AD(1), Warren RM(1), Theron G(1).
BACKGROUND: Rapid tuberculosis (TB) drug susceptibility testing (DST) is crucial. Genotype MTBDRsl is a widely deployed World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed assay. Programmatic performance data, including non-actionable results from smear-negative sputum, are scarce.
METHODS: Sputa from Xpert MTB/RIF individuals (n = 951) were routinely-tested using Genotype MTBDRplus and MTBDRsl (both version 2). Phenotypic DST was the second-line drug reference standard. Discrepant results underwent Sanger sequencing.
FINDINGS: 89% (849 of 951) of individuals were culture-positive (56%, 476 of 849 smear-negative). MTBDRplus had at least 1 nonactionable result (control and/or TB-detection bands absent or invalid, precluding resistance reporting) in 19%
(92 of 476) of smear-negatives; for MTBDRsl, 40% (171 of 427) were nonactionable (28%, 120 of 427 false-negative TB; 17%, 51 of 427 indeterminate). In smear-negatives, MTBDRsl sensitivity for fluoroquinolones was 84% (95% confidence interval, 67%-93), 81% (54%-95%) for second-line injectable drugs, and 57% (28%-82%) for both. Specificities were 93% (89%-98%), 88% (81%-93%), and 97% (91%-99%), respectively. Twenty-three percent (172 of 746) of Xpert
rifampicin-resistant specimens were MTBDRplus isoniazid-susceptible. Days-to-second-line-susceptibility reporting with the programmatic advent of MTBDRsl improved (6 [5-7] vs 37 [35-46]; P < .001).
CONCLUSIONS: MTBDRsl did not generate a result in 4 of 10 smear-negatives, resulting in substantial missed resistance. However, if MTBDRsl generates an actionable result, that is accurate in ruling-in resistance. Isoniazid DST remains crucial. This study provides real-world, direct, second-line susceptibility testing performance data on non-actionable results (that, if unaccounted for, cause an overestimation of test utility), accuracy, and care cascade impact.
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac556
PMCID: PMC7614164
PMID: 35788278 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
4. Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Determinants of Clinical Outcomes for Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Multisite Prospective Cohort Study.
Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Feb 8;76(3):497-505. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac511.
Heysell SK(1), Mpagama SG(2)(3), Ogarkov OB(4), Conaway M(5), Ahmed S(6), Zhdanova S(4), Pholwat S(1), Alshaer MH(7), Chongolo AM(2), Mujaga B(3), Sariko M(3), Saba S(6), Rahman SMM(6), Uddin MKM(6), Suzdalnitsky A(8), Moiseeva E(8), Zorkaltseva E(9), Koshcheyev M(8), Vitko S(1), Mmbaga BT(3), Kibiki GS(3), Pasipanodya JG(10), Peloquin CA(7), Banu S(6), Houpt ER(1).
BACKGROUND: Rifampin-resistant and/or multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (RR/MDR-TB) treatment requires multiple drugs, and outcomes remain suboptimal. Some drugs are associated with improved outcome. It is unknown whether particular pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships predict outcome.
METHODS: Adults with pulmonary RR/MDR-TB in Tanzania, Bangladesh, and the Russian Federation receiving local regimens were enrolled from June 2016 to July 2018. Serum was collected after 2, 4, and 8 weeks for each drug's area under the concentration-time curve over 24 hours (AUC0-24). Quantitative susceptibility of the M. tuberculosis isolate was measured by minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Individual drug AUC0-24/MIC targets were assessed by adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for favorable treatment outcome, and hazard ratios (HRs) for time to sputum culture conversion. K-means clustering algorithm separated the cohort of the most common multidrug regimen into 4 clusters by AUC0-24/MIC exposures.
RESULTS: Among 290 patients, 62 (21%) experienced treatment failure, including 30 deaths. Moxifloxacin AUC0-24/MIC target of 58 was associated with favorable treatment outcome (OR, 3.75; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-11.56; P= .022); levofloxacin AUC0-24/MIC of 118.3, clofazimine AUC0-24/MIC of 50.5, and pyrazinamide AUC0-24 of 379 mg × h/L were associated with faster culture conversion (HR >1.0, P < .05). Other individual drug exposures were not predictive. Clustering by AUC0-24/MIC revealed that those with the lowest multidrug exposures had the slowest culture conversion.
CONCLUSIONS: Amidst multidrug regimens for RR/MDR-TB, serum pharmacokinetics and M. tuberculosis MICs were variable, yet defined parameters to certain drugs-fluoroquinolones, pyrazinamide, clofazimine-were predictive and should be optimized to improve clinical outcome. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT03559582.
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of
Infectious Diseases Society of America.
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac511
PMCID: PMC9907514
PMID: 35731948 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
5. Long-term treatment outcomes in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
Clin Microbiol Infect. 2023 Feb 24:S1198-743X(23)00083-6. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2023.02.013. Online ahead of print.
Maier C(1), Chesov D(2), Schaub D(1), Kalsdorf B(1), Andres S(3), Friesen I(3), Reimann M(1), Lange C(4).
OBJECTIVES: We describe long-term treatment outcomes in patients with multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant (MDR/RR)-tuberculosis (TB) and validate established MDR/RR-TB treatment outcome definitions.
METHODS: Among patients with MDR/RR-TB admitted to a German MDR/RR-TB referral center from 01.09.2002-29.02.2020, we compared long-term treatment outcomes derived from individual patient follow-up with treatment outcomes defined by WHO-2013, WHO-2021 and TBnet-2016.
RESULTS: In total 163 patients (mean age 35 ± standard deviation 13 years, 14/163 [8.6%] living with HIV, 109/163 [66.9%] male, 149/163 [91.4%] migrating to Germany within five years) initiated treatment for culture confirmed MDR/RR-TB. Additional drug resistance to a fluoroquinolone or a second-line injectable agent was present in 15/163 (9.2%) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains; resistance against both drug classes was present in 29/163 (17.8%) of strains. Median duration of MDR/RR-TB treatment was 20 months (interquartile range [IQR] 19.3-21.6) with a medium of 5 active drugs included. Median follow-up time was 4 years (47.7 months; IQR 21.7-65.8 months). Cure was
achieved in 25/163 (15.3%), 82/163 (50.3%) and 95/163 (58.3%) of patients according to WHO-2013, WHO-2021, and TBnet-2016 outcome definitions, respectively. The lost to follow-up rate was 17/163 (10.4%). Death was more likely in patients living with HIV (hazard ratio [HR]=4.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26-12.86) and older patients (HR=1.08, 95%CI 1.05-1.12, increment of one year). Overall, 101/163 (62.0%) patients experienced long-term, relapse-free cure; of those, 101/122 (82.8%) patients with a known status (not lost to-follow-up or transferred out) at follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: Under optimal management conditions leveraging individualized
treatment regimens, long-term relapse-free cure from MDR/RR-TB is substantially
higher than cure rates as defined by current treatment outcome definitions.
Copyright © 2023 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious
Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2023.02.013
PMID: 36842637
6. Optimizing Moxifloxacin Dose in MDR-TB Participants with or without Efavirenz Coadministration Using Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2023 Feb 6:e0142622. doi: 10.1128/aac.01426-22. Online ahead of print.
Chirehwa MT(#)(1), Resendiz-Galvan JE(#)(1), Court R(1), De Kock M(2), Wiesner L(1), de Vries N(3), Harding J(4), Gumbo T(5), Warren R(2), Maartens G(1), Denti P(#)(1), McIlleron H(#)(1)(6).
Moxifloxacin is included in some treatment regimens for drug-sensitive tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). Aiming to optimize dosing, we described moxifloxacin pharmacokinetic and MIC distribution in participants with MDR-TB. Participants enrolled at two TB hospitals in South Africa underwent intensive pharmacokinetic sampling approximately 1 to 6 weeks after treatment initiation. Plasma drug concentrations and clinical data were analyzed using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling with simulations to evaluate doses for different scenarios. We enrolled 131 participants (54 females), with median age of 35.7 (interquartile range, 28.5 to 43.5) years, median weight of 47 (42.0 to 54.0) kg, and median fat-free mass of 40.1 (32.3 to 44.7) kg; 79 were HIV positive, 29 of whom were on efavirenz-based antiretroviral therapy. Moxifloxacin pharmacokinetics were described with a 2-compartment model, transit absorption, and elimination via a liver compartment. We included allometry based on fat-free mass to estimate disposition parameters. We estimated an oral clearance for a typical patient to be 17.6 L/h. Participants treated with efavirenz had increased clearance, resulting in a 44% reduction in moxifloxacin exposure. Simulations predicted that, even at a median MIC of 0.25 (0.06 to 16) mg/L, the standard daily dose of 400 mg has a low probability of attaining the ratio of the area under the unbound concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h to the MIC (fAUC0-24)/MIC target of >53, particularly in heavier participants. The high-dose WHO regimen (600 to 800 mg) yielded higher, more balanced exposures across the weight ranges, with better target attainment. When coadministered with efavirenz, moxifloxacin doses of up to 1,000 mg are needed to match these exposures. The safety of higher moxifloxacin doses in clinical settings should be confirmed.
DOI: 10.1128/aac.01426-22
PMID: 36744891
7. Association Between Increased Linezolid Plasma Concentrations and the Development of Severe Toxicity in Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment.
Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Feb 8;76(3):e947-e956. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac485.
Eimer J(1), Fréchet-Jachym M(2), Le Dû D(2), Caumes E(3), El-Helali N(4), Marigot-Outtandy D(2)(5), Mechai F(6)(7), Peytavin G(8), Pourcher V(3), Rioux C(9), Yazdanpanah Y(9), Robert J(1)(10), Guglielmetti L(1)(10); LZDM group.
BACKGROUND: Treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis with linezolid is characterized by high rates of adverse events. Evidence on therapeutic drug monitoring to predict drug toxicity is scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the association of linezolid trough concentrations with severe toxicity.
METHODS: We retrospectively assessed consecutive patients started on linezolid for MDR tuberculosis between 2011 and 2017. The primary outcome was severe mitochondrial toxicity (SMT) due to linezolid, defined as neurotoxicity or
myelotoxicity leading to drug discontinuation. The impact of plasma linezolid trough concentrations >2 mg/L was assessed in multivariate Cox proportional hazards models including time-varying covariates.
RESULTS: SMT occurred in 57 of 146 included patients (39%) at an incidence rate of 0.38 per person-year (95% confidence interval, .30-.49). A maximum linezolid trough concentration >2 mg/L was detected in 52 patients (35.6%), while the mean trough concentration was >2 mg/L in 22 (15%). The adjusted hazard ratio for SMT was 2.35 (95% confidence interval, 1.26-4.38; P = .01) in patients with a mean trough concentration >2 mg/L and 2.63 (1.55-4.47; P < .01) for SMT after the first detection of a trough concentration >2 mg/L. In an exploratory analysis, higher maximum trough concentrations were dose-dependently associated with toxicity, while lowering elevated trough concentrations did not restore baseline risk.
CONCLUSIONS: Linezolid trough concentrations >2 mg/L are strongly associated with the development of severe treatment-emergent toxicity in patients treated for MDR tuberculosis. Pending further prospective evidence, an individual risk-benefit assessment on the continuation of linezolid treatment is warranted in any patient with trough concentrations >2 mg/L.
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of
Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions,
please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac485
PMID: 35717636 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
From our February Newsletter
1. Feasibility, Ease-of-Use, and Operational Characteristics of World Health Organization-Recommended Moderate-Complexity Automated Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests for the Detection of Tuberculosis and Resistance to Rifampicin and Isoniazid.
J Mol Diagn. 2023 Jan;25(1):46-56. doi: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2022.10.001. Epub 2022 Oct 13.
David A(1), de Vos M(2), Scott L(3), da Silva P(4), Trollip A(2), Ruhwald M(2), Schumacher S(2), Stevens W(5).
Four moderate-complexity automated nucleic acid amplification tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis are reported as having laboratory analytical and clinical performance similar to that of the Cepheid Xpert MTB/RIF assay. These assays are the Abbott RealTime MTB and RealTime MTB RIF/INH Resistance, Becton Dickinson MAX MDR-TB, the Hain Lifescience/Bruker FluoroType MTBDR, and the Roche cobas MTB and MTB RIF/INH assays. The study compared feasibility, ease of use, and operational characteristics of these assays/platforms. Manufacturer input was obtained for technical characteristics. Laboratory operators were requested to complete a questionnaire on the assays & ease of use. A time-in-motion analysis was also undertaken for each platform. For ease-of-use and operational requirements, the BD MAX MDR-TB assay achieved the highest scores (86% and 90%) based on information provided by the user and manufacturer, respectively, followed by the cobas MTB and MTB-RIF/INH assay (68% and 86%), the FluoroType MTBDR assay (67% and 80%), and the Abbott RT-MTB and RT MTB RIF/INH assays (64% and 76%). The time-in-motion analysis revealed that for 94 specimens, the RealTime MTB assay required the longest processing time, followed by the cobas MTB assay and the FluoroType MTBDR assay. The BD MAX MDR-TB assay required 4.6 hours for 22 specimens. These diagnostic assays exhibited different strengths and weaknesses that should be taken into account, in addition to affordability, when considering placement of a new platform.
Copyright © 2023 Association for Molecular Pathology and American Society for
Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2022.10.001
PMCID: PMC9830532
PMID: 36243289 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
2. Population pharmacokinetics and dose evaluations of linezolid in the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
Front Pharmacol. 2023 Jan 9;13:1032674. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1032674. eCollection 2022.
Zhang H(1), He Y(2), Davies Forsman L(3)(4), Paues J(5)(6), Werngren J(7), Niward K(5)(6), Schön T(5)(6)(8), Bruchfeld J(3)(4), Alffenaar JW(9)(10)(11), Hu Y(1).
Background: The pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) target derived from the hollow-fiber system model for linezolid for treatment of the multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) requires clinical validation. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a population PK model for linezolid when administered as part of a standardized treatment regimen, to identify the PK/PD threshold associated with successful treatment outcomes and to evaluate currently recommended linezolid doses.
Method: This prospective multi-center cohort study of participants with laboratory-confirmed MDR-TB was conducted in five TB designated hospitals. The population PK model for linezolid was built using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling using data from 168 participants. Boosted classification and regression tree analyses (CART) were used to identify the ratio of 0- to 24-h area under the concentration-time curve (AUC0-24h) to the minimal inhibitory concentration(MIC) threshold using the BACTEC MGIT 960 method associated with successful treatment outcome and validated in multivariate analysis using data from a different and prospective cohort of 159 participants with MDR-TB. Furthermore, based on the identified thresholds, the recommended doses were evaluated by the probability of target attainment (PTA) analysis.
Result: Linezolid plasma concentrations (1008 samples) from 168 subjects treated with linezolid, were best described by a 2-compartment model with first-order absorption and elimination. An AUC0-24h/MIC > 125 was identified as a threshold for successful treatment outcome. Median time to sputum culture conversion between the group with AUC0-24h/MIC above and below 125 was 2 versus 24 months; adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 21.7; 95% confidence interval (CI), (6.4, 72.8). The boostedCART-derived threshold and its relevance to the final treatment outcome was comparable to the previously suggested target of AUC0-24h/MIC (119) using MGITMICs in a hollow fiber infection model. Based on the threshold from the present study, at a standard linezolid dose of 600 mg daily, PTA was simulated to achieve 100% at MGIT MICs of ≤ .25 mg which included the majority (81.1%) of isolates in the study.
Conclusion: We validated an AUC0-24h/MIC threshold which may serve as a target for dose adjustment to improve efficacy of linezolid in a bedaquiline-containing treatment. Linezolid exposures with the WHO-recommended dose (600 mg daily) was sufficient for all the M. tb isolates with MIC ≤.25 mg/L.
Copyright © 2023 Zhang, He, Davies Forsman, Paues, Werngren, Niward, Schön, Bruchfeld, Alffenaar and Hu.
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1032674
PMCID: PMC9868619
PMID: 36699070
3. Implementation challenges and lessons learned from the STREAM clinical trial-a survey of trial sites.
Trials. 2023 Jan 23;24(1):51. doi: 10.1186/s13063-023-07068-8.
Patel LN(1), Gurumurthy M(2), Bronson G(3), Sanders K(4), Rusen ID(3).
BACKGROUND: Design and implementation of multi-country clinical trials for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are complex for several reasons, including trial duration, varying levels of experience and infrastructure across settings, and different regulatory requirements. STREAM was an MDR-TB clinical trial that recruited over 1000 participants. We documented challenges and best practices/lessons learned from the site perspective to improve implementation of future trials.
METHODS: We conducted a voluntary survey of trial staff at all sites to obtain information on challenges encountered and best practices/lessons learned from implementation of the STREAM trial. Respondents were asked to identify substantive aspects of trial implementation from a list that included: trial administration, laboratory strengthening/infrastructure, pharmacy and supply chain management, community engagement, regulatory and ethics requirements, health economics, and other (respondent designated) about which a practical guide would be useful to improve future trial implementation. For each aspect of trial implementation selected, respondents were asked to report challenges and best practices/lessons learned during STREAM. Lastly, respondents were asked to list up to three things they would do differently when implementing future trials. Summary statistics were generated for quantitative data and thematic analysis was undertaken for qualitative data.
RESULTS: Of 67 responses received from 13 of 15 sites, 47 (70%) were included in the analyses, after excluding duplicate or incomplete responses. Approximately half the respondents were investigators or trial coordinators. The top three aspects of trial implementation identified for a best practices/lessons learned practical guide to improve future trial implementation were: trial administration, community engagement, and laboratory strengthening/infrastructure. For both challenges and best practices/lessons learned, three common themes were identified across different aspects of trial implementation. Investment in capacity building and ongoing monitoring; investment in infrastructure and well-designed trial processes; and communication and coordination between staff and meaningful engagement of stakeholders were all thought to be critical to successful trial implementation.
CONCLUSIONS: Existing practices for clinical trial implementation should be reevaluated. Sponsors should consider the local context and the need to increase upfront investment in the cross-cutting thematic areas identified to improve trial implementation.
© 2023. The Author(s).
DOI: 10.1186/s13063-023-07068-8
PMCID: PMC9869607
PMID: 36691098 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
4. Large-scale genomic analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals extent of target and compensatory mutations linked to multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.
Sci Rep. 2023 Jan 12;13(1):623. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-27516-4.
Napier G(1), Campino S(1), Phelan JE(#)(2), Clark TG(#)(3)(4).
Resistance to isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF) first-line drugs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), together called multi-drug resistance, threatens tuberculosis control. Resistance mutations in katG (for INH) and rpoB (RIF) genes often come with fitness costs. To overcome these costs, Mtb compensatory mutations have arisen in rpoC/rpoA (RIF) and ahpC (INH) loci. By leveraging the presence of known compensatory mutations, we aimed to detect novel resistance mutations occurring in INH and RIF target genes. Across ~ 32 k Mtb isolates with whole genome sequencing (WGS) data, there were 6262 (35.7%) with INH and 5435 (30.7%) with RIF phenotypic resistance. Known mutations in katG and rpoB explained ~ 99% of resistance. However, 188 (0.6%) isolates had ahpC compensatory mutations with no known resistance mutations in katG, leading to the identification of 31 putative resistance mutations in katG, each observed in at least 3 isolates. These putative katG mutations can co-occur with other INH variants (e.g., katG-Ser315Thr, fabG1 mutations). For RIF, there were no isolates with rpoC/rpoA compensatory mutations and unknown resistance mutations. Overall, using WGS data we identified putative resistance markers for INH that could be used for genotypic drug-resistance profiling. Establishing the complete repertoire of Mtb resistance mutations will assist the clinical management of tuberculosis.
© 2023. The Author(s).
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27516-4
PMCID: PMC9837068
PMID: 36635309 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
5. Economic evaluation of shortened, bedaquiline-containing treatment regimens for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (STREAM stage 2): a within-trial analysis of a randomised controlled trial.
Lancet Glob Health. 2023 Feb;11(2):e265-e277. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00498-3. Epub 2022 Dec 21.
Rosu L(1), Madan JJ(2), Tomeny EM(3), Muniyandi M(4), Nidoi J(5), Girma M(6), Vilc V(7), Bindroo P(8), Dhandhukiya R(9), Bayissa AK(10), Meressa D(11), Narendran G(4), Solanki R(9), Bhatnagar AK(8), Tudor E(7), Kirenga B(5), Meredith SK(12), Nunn AJ(12), Bronson G(13), Rusen ID(13), Squire SB(3), Worrall E(3); STREAM Study Health Economic Evaluation Collaborators.
BACKGROUND: The STREAM stage 2 trial assessed two bedaquiline-containing regimens for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis: a 9-month all-oral regimen and a 6-month regimen containing an injectable drug for the first 2 months. We did a within-trial economic evaluation of these regimens.
METHODS: STREAM stage 2 was an international, phase 3, non-inferiority randomised trial in which participants with rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis were randomly assigned (1:2:2:2) to the 2011 WHO regimen (terminated early), a 9-month injectable-containing regimen (control regimen), a 9-month all-oral regimen with bedaquiline (oral regimen), or a 6-month regimen with bedaquiline and an injectable for the first 2 months (6-month regimen). We prospectively collected direct and indirect costs and health-related quality of life data from trial participants until week 76 of follow-up. Cost-effectiveness of the oral and 6-month regimens versus control was estimated in four countries (oral regimen) and two countries (6-month regimen), using health-related quality of life for cost-utility analysis and trial efficacy for cost-effectiveness analysis. This trial is registered with ISRCTN, ISRCTN18148631.
FINDINGS: 300 participants were included in the economic analyses (Ethiopia, 61; India, 142; Moldova, 51; Uganda, 46). In the cost-utility analysis, the oral regimen was not cost-effective in Ethiopia, India, Moldova, and Uganda from either a provider or societal perspective. In Moldova, the oral regimen was dominant from a societal perspective. In the cost-effectiveness analysis, the oral regimen was likely to be cost-effective from a provider perspective at willingness-to-pay thresholds per additional favourable outcome of more than US$4500 in Ethiopia, $1900 in India, $3950 in Moldova, and $7900 in Uganda, and from a societal perspective at thresholds of more than $15 900 in Ethiopia, $3150 in India, and $4350 in Uganda, while in Moldova the oral regimen was dominant. In Ethiopia and India, the 6-month regimen would cost tuberculosis programmes and participants less than the control regimen and was highly likely to be cost-effective in both cost-utility analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis. Reducing the bedaquiline price from $1·81 to $1·00 per tablet made the oral regimen cost-effective in the provider-perspective cost-utility analysis in India and Moldova and dominate over the control regimen in the provider-perspective cost-effectiveness analysis in India.
INTERPRETATION: At current costs, the oral bedaquiline-containing regimen for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis is unlikely to be cost-effective in many low-income and middle-income countries. The 6-month regimen represents a cost-effective alternative if injectable use for 2 months is acceptable.
FUNDING: USAID and Janssen Research & Development.
Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open
Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd..
All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00498-3
PMID: 36565704 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
From our December 2022 Newsletter
1. Availability and costs of medicines for the treatment of tuberculosis in Europe.
Clin Microbiol Infect. 2023 Jan;29(1):77-84. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2022.07.026. Epub 2022 Aug 10.
Günther G(1), Guglielmetti L(2), Leu C(3), Lange C(4), van Leth F(5); Tuberculosis Network European Trials group.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the access to comprehensive diagnostics and novel antituberculosis medicines in European countries.
METHODS: We investigated the access to genotypic and phenotypic Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing and the availability of antituberculosis drugs and calculated the cost of drugs and treatment regimens at major tuberculosis treatment centres in countries of the WHO European region where rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis are the highest among all WHO regions. Results were stratified by middle-income and high-income countries.
RESULTS: Overall, 43 treatment centres from 43 countries participated in the study. For WHO group A drugs, the frequency of countries with the availability of phenotypic drug susceptibility testing was as follows: (a) 75% (30/40) for levofloxacin, (b) 82% (33/40) for moxifloxacin, (c) 48% (19/40) for bedaquiline, and (d) 72% (29/40) for linezolid. Overall, of the 43 countries, 36 (84%) and 24 (56%) countries had access to bedaquiline and delamanid, respectively, whereas only 6 (14%) countries had access to rifapentine. The treatment of patients with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis with a regimen including a carbapenem
was available only in 17 (40%) of the 43 countries. The median cost of regimens for drug-susceptible-tuberculosis, multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (shorter regimen, including bedaquiline for
6 months), and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (including bedaquiline, delamanid, and a carbapenem) were €44 (minimum-maximum, €15-152), €764 (minimum-maximum, €542-15152), and €8709 (minimum-maximum, €7965-11759) in middle-income countries (n = 12) and €280 (minimum-maximum, €78-1084), €29765 (minimum-maximum, €11116-40584), and €217591 (minimum-maximum, €82827-320146) in high-income countries (n = 29), respectively.
DISCUSSION: In countries of the WHO European region, there is a widespread lack of drug susceptibility testing capacity to new and repurposed antituberculosis drugs, lack of access to essential medications in several countries, and a high cost for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2022.07.026
PMCID: PMC9801521
PMID: 35961488 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
2. Ultrasensitive Detection of Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Using SuperSelective Primer-Based Real-Time PCR Assays.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Dec 12;23(24):15752. doi: 10.3390/ijms232415752.
Narang A(1), Marras SAE(1), Kurepina N(2), Chauhan V(3), Shashkina E(2), Kreiswirth B(2), Varma-Basil M(3), Vinnard C(4), Subbian S(1).
The emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis is a significant global health issue. The presence of heteroresistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis is critical to developing fully drug-resistant tuberculosis cases. The currently available molecular techniques may detect one copy of mutant bacterial genomic DNA in the presence of about 1-1000 copies of wild-type M. tuberculosis DNA. To improve the limit of heteroresistance detection, we developed SuperSelective primer-based real-time PCR assays, which, by their unique assay design, enable selective and exponential amplification of selected point mutations in the presence of abundant wild-type DNA. We designed SuperSelective primers to detect genetic mutations associated with M. tuberculosis resistance to the anti-tuberculosis drugs isoniazid and rifampin. We evaluated the efficiency of our assay in detecting heteroresistant M. tuberculosis strains using genomic DNA isolated from laboratory strains and clinical isolates from the sputum of tuberculosis patients. Results show that our assays detected heteroresistant mutations with a specificity of 100% in a background of up to 104 copies of wild-type M. tuberculosis genomic DNA, corresponding to a detection limit of 0.01%. Therefore, the SuperSelective primer-based RT-PCR assay is an ultrasensitive tool that can efficiently diagnose heteroresistant tuberculosis in clinical specimens and contributes to understanding the drug resistance mechanisms. This approach can improve the management of antimicrobial resistance in tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415752
PMCID: PMC9779475
PMID: 36555395 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
3. Paediatric formulations for the treatment of drug resistant TB: closing the gaps.
Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2022 Dec 1;26(12):1097-1100. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.22.0498.
Alffenaar JWC(1), Marais BJ(2), Touw DJ(3).
DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.22.0498
PMCID: PMC9728946
PMID: 36447327 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
4. High clustering rate and genotypic drug-susceptibility screening for the newly recommended anti-tuberculosis drugs among global extensively drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates.
Emerg Microbes Infect. 2022 Dec;11(1):1857-1866. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2022.2099304.
Trisakul K(1)(2), Nonghanphithak D(1)(2), Chaiyachat P(1)(2), Kaewprasert O(1)(2), Sakmongkoljit K(3), Reechaipichitkul W(1)(2), Chaiprasert A(4), Blair D(5), Clark TG(6), Faksri K(1)(2).
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) make TB difficult to control. Global susceptibility data for six newly recommended anti-TB drugs against M/XDR-TB are still limited. Using publicly available whole-genome sequences, we determined the proportion of 513 phenotypically XDR-TB isolates that carried mutations associated with resistance against these drugs (bedaquiline, clofazimine, linezolid, delamanid, pretomanid and cycloserine). Mutations of Rv0678 and Rv1979c were detected in 69/513 isolates (13.5%) for bedaquiline resistance and 79/513 isolates (15.4%)
for clofazimine resistance with additional mmpL5 mutations. Mutations conferring resistance to delamanid were detected in fbiB and ddn genes for 11/513 isolates (2.1%). For pretomanid, a mutation was detected in the ddn gene for 3/513 isolates (0.6%). Nineteen mutations of pykA, cycA, ald, and alr genes, conferring resistance to cycloserine, were found in 153/513 isolates (29.8%). No known mutations associated with linezolid resistance were detected. Cluster analysis showed that 408/513 isolates fell within 99 clusters and that 354 of these isolates were possible primary drug-resistant TB (292 XDR-TB, 57 pre-XDR-TB and 5 MDR-TB). Clonal transmission of primary XDR isolates might contribute significantly to the high prevalence of DR-TB globally.
DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2022.2099304
PMCID: PMC9336503
PMID: 35792049 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
5. A 24-Week, All-Oral Regimen for Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis.
N Engl J Med. 2022 Dec 22;387(25):2331-2343. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2117166.
Nyang'wa BT(1), Berry C(1), Kazounis E(1), Motta I(1), Parpieva N(1), Tigay Z(1), Solodovnikova V(1), Liverko I(1), Moodliar R(1), Dodd M(1), Ngubane N(1), Rassool M(1), McHugh TD(1), Spigelman M(1), Moore DAJ(1), Ritmeijer K(1), du Cros P(1), Fielding K(1); TB-PRACTECAL Study Collaborators.
Comment in N Engl J Med. 2022 Dec 22;387(25):2380-2381.
BACKGROUND: In patients with rifampin-resistant tuberculosis, all-oral treatment regimens that are more effective, shorter, and have a more acceptable side-effect profile than current regimens are needed.
METHODS: We conducted an open-label, phase 2-3, multicenter, randomized, controlled, noninferiority trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of three 24-week, all-oral regimens for the treatment of rifampin-resistant tuberculosis. Patients in Belarus, South Africa, and Uzbekistan who were 15 years of age or older and had rifampin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis were enrolled. In stage 2 of the trial, a 24-week regimen of bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid, and moxifloxacin (BPaLM) was compared with a 9-to-20-month standard-care regimen. The primary outcome was an unfavorable status (a composite of death, treatment failure, treatment discontinuation, loss to follow-up, or recurrence of tuberculosis) at 72 weeks after randomization. The non-inferiority margin was 12 percentage points.
RESULTS: Recruitment was terminated early. Of 301 patients in stage 2 of the trial, 145, 128, and 90 patients were evaluable in the intention-to-treat, modified intention-to-treat, and per-protocol populations, respectively. In the modified intention-to-treat analysis, 11% of the patients in the BPaLM group and 48% of those in the standard-care group had a primary-outcome event (risk
difference, -37 percentage points; 96.6% confidence interval [CI], -53 to -22). In the per-protocol analysis, 4% of the patients in the BPaLM group and 12% of those in the standard-care group had a primary-outcome event (risk difference, -9 percentage points; 96.6% CI, -22 to 4). In the as-treated population, the incidence of adverse events of grade 3 or higher or serious adverse events was lower in the BPaLM group than in the standard-care group (19% vs. 59%).
CONCLUSIONS: In patients with rifampin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis, a 24-week, all-oral regimen was noninferior to the accepted standard-care treatment, and it had a better safety profile. (Funded by Médecins sans Frontières; TB-PRACTECAL ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02589782.).
Copyright © 2022 Massachusetts Medical Society.
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2117166
PMID: 36546625 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
From our July 2022 Newsletter
1. Spatial heterogeneity of extensively drug resistant-tuberculosis in Western Cape Province, South Africa.
Sci Rep. 2022 Jun 27;12(1):10844. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-14581-4. Sy KTL(1), Leavitt SV(2), de Vos M(3), Dolby T(4), Bor J(1)(2), Horsburgh CR Jr(1)(2)(5)(6), Warren RM(3), Streicher EM(3), Jenkins HE(2), Jacobson KR(7).
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading infectious disease killer globally. Treatment outcomes are especially poor among people with extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB, until recently defined as rifampicin-resistant (RR) TB with resistance to an aminoglycoside (amikacin) and a fluoroquinolone (ofloxacin). We used laboratory TB test results from Western Cape province, South Africa between 2012 and 2015 to identify XDR-TB and pre-XDR-TB (RR-TB with resistance to one second-line drug) spatial hotspots. We mapped the percentage and count of individuals with RR-TB that had XDR-TB and pre-XDR-TB across the province and in Cape Town, as well as amikacin-resistant and ofloxacin-resistant TB. We found the percentage of pre-XDR-TB and the count of XDR-TB/pre-XDR-TB highly heterogeneous with geographic hotspots within RR-TB high burden areas, and found hotspots in both percentage and count of amikacin-resistant and ofloxacin-resistant TB. The spatial distribution of percentage ofloxacin-resistant TB hotspots was similar to XDR-TB hotspots, suggesting that fluoroquinolone-resistace is often the first step to additional resistance. Our work shows that interventions used to reduce XDR-TB incidence may need to be targeted within spatial locations of RR-TB, and further research is required to understand underlying drivers of XDR-TB transmission in these locations.
© 2022. The Author(s).
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14581-4
PMCID: PMC9237070
PMID: 35760977 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
2. Bedaquiline, Delamanid, Linezolid and Clofazimine for Treatment of Pre-extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis.
Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Jun 29:ciac528. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac528. Online ahead of print.
Padmapriyadarsini C(1), Vohra V(2), Bhatnagar A(3), Solanki R(4), Sridhar R(5), Anande L(6), Muthuvijaylakshmi M(1), Bhatia M(2), Jeyadeepa B(1), Taneja G(3), Balaji S(1), Shah P(4), Saravanan N(1), Chauhan V(6), Kumar H(1), Ponnuraja C(1), Livchits V(7), Bahl M(8), Alavadi U(7), Sachdeva KS(9), Swaminathan S(10)(11); for BEAT India Team.
BACKGROUND: Treatment success rates for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remain low globally. Availability of newer drugs has given scope to develop regimens that can be patient-friendly, less toxic, with improved outcomes. We proposed to determine the effectiveness of an entirely oral, short-course regimen with Bedaquiline and Delamanid in treating MDR-TB with additional resistance to fluoroquinolones (MDR-TBFQ+) or second-line injectable (MDR-TBSLI+).
METHODS: We prospectively determined the effectiveness and safety of combining two new drugs with two repurposed drugs - Bedaquiline, Delamanid, Linezolid, and Clofazimine for 24-36 weeks in adults with pulmonary MDR-TBFQ+ or/and MDR-TBSLI+. The primary outcome was a favorable response at end of treatment, defined as two consecutive negative cultures taken four weeks apart. The unfavorable outcomes included bacteriologic or clinical failure during treatment period.
RESULTS: Of the 165 participants enrolled, 158 had MDR-TBFQ+. At the end of treatment, after excluding 12 patients due to baseline drug susceptibility and culture negatives, 139 of 153 patients (91%) had a favorable outcome. Fourteen patients (9%) had unfavorable outcomes: four deaths, seven treatment changes, two bacteriological failures, and one withdrawal. During treatment, 85 patients (52%) developed myelosuppression, 69 (42%) reported peripheral neuropathy, and none had QTc(F) prolongation >500msec. At 48 weeks of follow-up, 131 patients showed sustained treatment success with the resolution of adverse events in the majority.
CONCLUSION: After 24-36 weeks of treatment, this regimen resulted in a satisfactory favorable outcome in pulmonary MDR-TB patients with additional drug resistance. Cardiotoxicity was minimal, and myelosuppression, while common, was detected early and treated successfully.
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac528
PMID: 35767251
3. Addressing bedaquiline treatment interruptions in the treatment of drug-resistant TB.
Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2022 Jul 1;26(7):671-677. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.21.0678.
Kambili C(1), Rossenu S(2), Hoetelmans RMW(2), Birmingham E(3), Bakare N(4).
SETTING: The recommended dosing regimen for bedaquiline (BDQ), consisting of a 2-week loading phase (400 mg/day), followed by a maintenance phase (200 mg three times/week), might pose challenges when treatment is interrupted and needs to be reinitiated. Guidance on BDQ treatment re-initiation is, therefore, needed.
OBJECTIVE: This pharmacokinetic-based simulation study aimed to provide recommendations for re-initiating BDQ following treatment interruptions.
DESIGN: Simulations of treatment interruptions, defined as any time a patient misses ≥2 consecutive BDQ doses for up to 56 consecutive days (2 months), were assessed using the BDQ population-pharmacokinetic model.RESULTS: Any treatment interruption lasting ≤28 days prior to completing the 14-day loading phase can be managed by completing the remaining loading doses. Scenarios when it is sufficient to simply restart maintenance dosing are discussed. In some scenarios, treatment interruptions require reloading for 1 week prior to restarting maintenance dosing.
CONCLUSIONS: This simulation study provided recommendations for managing BDQ treatment interruptions and underscores the importance of having a robust population-pharmacokinetic model for TB drugs to inform clinical guidance. Such recommendations are valuable to help ensure optimal treatment with BDQ for treating multidrug-resistant TB.
DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.21.0678
PMCID: PMC9272739
PMID: 35768912 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
4. Practical and psychosocial challenges faced by caregivers influence the acceptability of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis preventive therapy for young children.
PLoS One. 2022 Jul 14;17(7):e0268560. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268560. eCollection 2022.
Wademan DT(1), Hoddinott G(1), Purchase SE(1), Seddon JA(1)(2), Hesseling AC(1), Garcia-Prats AJ(1)(3), Reis R(4)(5)(6), Reynolds LJ(7)(8).
Drug-resistant (DR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) are increasingly recognised as a threat to global tuberculosis (TB) control efforts. Identifying people with DR-TB exposure/ infection and providing TB preventive therapy (TPT) is a public health priority. TB guidelines advise the evaluation of household contacts of newly diagnosed TB cases, with the provision of TPT to vulnerable populations, including young children (<5 years). Many children become infected with TB through exposure in their household. Levofloxacin is under evaluation as TPT in children exposed to M. tb strains with resistance to rifampicin and isoniazid (multidrug-resistant TB; MDR-TB). Prior to opening a phase 3 prevention trial in children <5 years exposed to MDR-TB, the pharmacokinetics and safety of a novel formulation of levofloxacin given daily was evaluated as part of a lead-in study. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study of 10 caregivers' experiences of administering this formulation. We explored how the acceptability of levofloxacin as TPT is shaped by the broader impacts of MDR-TB on the overall psychological, social, and financial wellbeing of caregivers, many of whom also had experienced MDR-TB. Caregivers reported that the novel levofloxacin formulation was acceptable. However, caregivers described significant psychosocial challenges in the process of incorporating TPT administration to their children into their daily lives, including financial instability, withdrawal of social support and stigma. When caregivers themselves were sick, these challenges became even more acute. Although new child-friendly formulations can ameliorate some of the pragmatic challenges related to TPT preparation and administration, the overall psychosocial burden on caregivers responsible for administering TPT remains a major determinant of effective MDR-TB prevention in children.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268560
PMCID: PMC9282439
PMID: 35834509 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
5. The global impact of household contact management for children on multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis cases, deaths, and health-system costs in 2019: a modelling study.
Lancet Glob Health. 2022 Jul;10(7):e1034-e1044. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00113-9. Epub 2022 May 18.
Dodd PJ(1), Mafirakureva N(2), Seddon JA(3), McQuaid CF(4).
Comment in Lancet Glob Health. 2022 Jul;10(7):e942-e943.
BACKGROUND: Estimates suggest that at least 30 000 children develop multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis each year. Despite household contact management (HCM) being widely recommended, it is rarely done.
METHODS: We used mathematical modelling to evaluate the potential country-level and global effects and cost-effectiveness of multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis HCM for children younger than 15 years who are living with a person with newly diagnosed multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis. We compared a baseline of no HCM with several HCM strategies and tuberculosis preventive therapy regimens, calculating the effect on multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis cases, deaths, and health-system costs. All HCM strategies involved the screening of children for prevalent tuberculosis disease but with tuberculosis preventive therapy either not given or targeted dependent on age, HIV status, and result of tuberculin skin test. We evaluated the use of fluoroquinolones (ie, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin), delamanid, and bedaquiline as tuberculosis preventive therapy.
FINDINGS: Compared with a baseline without HCM, HCM for all adults diagnosed with multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis in 2019 would have entailed screening 227 000 children (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 205 000-252 000) younger than 15 years globally, and averted 2350 tuberculosis deaths (1940-2790), costing an additional US$63 million (74-95 million). If all the children within the household who had been in contact with the person with multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis received tuberculosis preventive therapy with levofloxacin, 5620 incident tuberculosis cases (95% UI 4540-6890) and an additional 1240 deaths (970-1540) would have been prevented. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were lower than half of per-capita gross domestic product for most interventions in most countries. Targeting only children younger than 5 years and those living with HIV reduced the number of incident cases and deaths averted, but improved cost-effectiveness. Tuberculosis preventive therapy with delamanid increased the effect, in terms of reduced incidence and mortality, compared with levofloxacin.
INTERPRETATION: HCM for patients with multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis is cost-effective in most settings and could avert a substantial proportion of multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis cases and deaths in children globally.
FUNDING: UK Medical Research Council.
Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00113-9
PMCID: PMC9197775
PMID: 35597248 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
From our November 2022 Newsletter
1. Adherence trajectory as an on-treatment risk indicator among drug-resistant TB patients in the Philippines
PLoS One. 2022 Nov 8;17(11):e0277078. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277078.
eCollection 2022.
Huddart S(1)(2), Geocaniga-Gaviola DM(3), Crowder R(1)(2), Lim AR(3), Lopez E(3), Valdez CL(3), Berger CA(1)(2), Destura R(4), Kato-Maeda M(1)(2), Cattamanchi A(1)(2), Garfin AMC(3).
INTRODUCTION: High levels of treatment adherence are critical for achieving
optimal treatment outcomes among patients with tuberculosis (TB), especially for drug-resistant TB (DR TB). Current tools for identifying high-risk non-adherence are insufficient. Here, we apply trajectory analysis to characterize adherence behavior early in DR TB treatment and assess whether these patterns predict treatment outcomes.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of Philippines DR TB patients treated between 2013 and 2016. To identify unique patterns of adherence, we performed group-based trajectory modelling on adherence to the first 12 weeks of
treatment. We estimated the association of adherence trajectory group with six-month and final treatment outcomes using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. We also estimated and compared the predictive accuracy of adherence trajectory group and a binary adherence threshold for treatment outcomes.
RESULTS: Of 596 patients, 302 (50.7%) had multidrug resistant TB, 11 (1.8%)
extremely drug-resistant (XDR) TB, and 283 (47.5%) pre-XDR TB. We identified three distinct adherence trajectories during the first 12 weeks of treatment: a high adherence group (n = 483), a moderate adherence group (n = 93) and a low adherence group (n = 20). Similar patterns were identified at 4 and 8 weeks. Being in the 12-week moderate or low adherence group was associated with unfavorable six-month (adjusted OR [aOR] 3.42, 95% CI 1.90-6.12) and final (aOR 2.71, 95% 1.73-4.30) treatment outcomes. Adherence trajectory group performed similarly to a binary threshold classification for the prediction of final treatment outcomes (65.9% vs. 65.4% correctly classified), but was more accurate for prediction of six-month treatment outcomes (79.4% vs. 60.0% correctly classified).
CONCLUSIONS: Adherence patterns are strongly predictive of DR TB treatment outcomes. Trajectory-based analyses represent an exciting avenue of research into TB patient adherence behavior seeking to inform interventions which rapidly identify and support patients with high-risk adherence patterns.
Copyright: © 2022 Huddart et al.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277078
PMCID: PMC9642894
PMID: 36346814 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
2. Effectiveness and Safety of Bedaquiline-based, Modified All-oral 9-11-month Treatment Regimen for Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis in Vietnam.
Int J Infect Dis. 2022 Nov 10:S1201-9712(22)00592-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.11.007. Online ahead of print.
Mai Phuong NT(1), Hai Minh LT(1), Collette Merle CS(2), Pedrazzoli D(3), Linh NN(3), Decroo T(4), Hoa NB(1), Thuy HTT(1), Nhung NV(5).
BACKGROUND: WHO recommends a 7-drug 9-11-month rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) short treatment regimen (STR). To reduce the pill burden, we assessed the safety and effectiveness of a 5-drug 9-11-month modified STR (mSTR).
METHODS: Prospective cohort study of an all-oral mSTR (comprising bedaquiline, levofloxacin, linezolid, clofazimine and/or pyrazinamide) for RR-TB patients
without confirmed fluoroquinolone resistance, enrolled in Vietnam between 2020-2021.
RESULTS: One hundred eight patients were enrolled. Sixty-three of 74 (85%) achieved culture conversion at 2 months. Of 106 evaluated, 95 (90%) were successfully treated, 6 (6%) were lost-to-follow-up, 1 (1%) died and 4 (4%) had
treatment failure, including 3 with permanent regimen change due to adverse events (AE) and 1 with culture reversion. Thirty-two (30% of 108) patients encountered at least one AE. Of 45 AEs recorded, 13 (29%) were serious (hospitalization, life threatening or death). The median time to AE was 3 months (IQR:2-5). Twenty-six AEs led to regimen adaptation: either dose reduction (N=1), drug temporary interruption (N=19), or drug permanent discontinuation (N=6, 4 attributed to linezolid).
CONCLUSION: The high treatment success 5-drug mSTR may replace the 7-drug regimen in routine care. AEs were frequent, but manageable in most patients. Active AEs monitoring is essential, particularly when using linezolid throughout.
Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.11.007
PMID: 36372364
3. Selection bias in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cohort studies assessing sputum culture conversion.
PLoS One. 2022 Nov 10;17(11):e0276457. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276457.
eCollection 2022.
Rodriguez CA(1)(2), Lodi S(3), Horsburgh CR(1), Bastard M(4), Hewison C(5),
Huerga H(4), Khan M(6), Khan PY(7)(8), Khan U(7), Oyewusi L(9), Padayachee S(6), Mitnick CD(2), Franke MF(2).
BACKGROUND: Conversion of sputum culture from positive to negative for M. tuberculosis is a key indicator of treatment response. An initial positive culture is a pre-requisite to observe conversion. Consequently, patients with a missing or negative initial culture are excluded from analyses of conversion outcomes. To identify the initial, or "baseline" culture, researchers must define a sample collection interval. An interval extending past treatment initiation can increase sample size but may introduce selection bias because patients without a positive pre-treatment culture must survive and remain in care to have a culture in the post-treatment interval.
METHODS: We used simulated data and data from the endTB observational cohort to investigate the potential for bias when extending baseline culture intervals past treatment initiation. We evaluated bias in the proportion with six-month conversion.
RESULTS: In simulation studies, the potential for bias depended on the proportion of patients missing a pre-treatment culture, proportion with conversion, proportion culture positive at treatment initiation, and proportion of patients missing a pre-treatment culture who would have been observed to be culture positive, had they had a culture. In observational data, the maximum potential for bias when reporting the proportion with conversion reached five percentage points in some sites.
CONCLUSION: Extending the allowable baseline interval past treatment initiation may introduce selection bias. If investigators choose to extend the baseline collection interval past treatment initiation, the proportion missing a pre-treatment culture and the number of deaths and losses to follow up during the post-treatment allowable interval should be clearly enumerated.
Copyright: © 2022 Rodriguez et al.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276457
PMCID: PMC9648724
PMID: 36355658 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
4. In silico evaluation of WHO-endorsed molecular methods to detect drug resistant tuberculosis.
Sci Rep. 2022 Oct 22;12(1):17741. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-21025-6.
Brankin A(1)(2), Seifert M(2)(3), Georghiou SB(2), Walker TM(1)(4), Uplekar S(2), Suresh A(2), Colman RE(5)(6).
Universal drug susceptibility testing (DST) for tuberculosis is a major goal of the END TB strategy. PCR-based molecular diagnostic tests have been instrumental in increasing DST globally and several assays have now been endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for use in the diagnosis of drug resistance. These endorsed assays, however, each interrogate a limited number of mutations associated with resistance, potentially limiting their sensitivity compared to sequencing-based methods. We applied an in silico method to compare the sensitivity and specificity of WHO-endorsed molecular based diagnostics to the mutation set identified by the WHO mutations catalogue using phenotypic DST as the reference. We found that, in silico, the mutation sets used by probe based molecular diagnostic tests to identify rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, amikacin, capreomycin and kanamycin resistance produced similar sensitivities and specificities to the WHO mutation catalogue. PCR-based diagnostic tests were most sensitive for drugs where mechanisms of resistance are well established and localised to small genetic regions or a few prevalent mutations. Approaches using sequencing technologies can provide advantages for drugs where our knowledge of resistance is limited, or where complex resistance signatures exist.
© 2022. The Author(s).
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21025-6
PMCID: PMC9587982
PMID: 36273016 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
5. Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Bedaquiline in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-Positive and Negative Older Children and Adolescents With Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis.
Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Nov 14;75(10):1772-1780. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac252.
Hughes JA(1), Solans BP(2), Draper HR(1), Schaaf HS(1), Winckler JL(1), van der Laan L(1), Radtke KK(2), Fourie B(3), Wiesner L(4), Hesseling AC(1), Savic
RM(2), Garcia-Prats AJ(1)(5).
BACKGROUND: Pharmacokinetic data for bedaquiline in children are limited. We
described the pharmacokinetics and safety of bedaquiline in South African children and adolescents receiving treatment for multidrug/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) in routine care.
METHODS: In this observational cohort study, children aged 6-17 years receiving
bedaquiline at recommended doses as part of MDR/RR-TB treatment underwent semi-intensive pharmacokinetic sampling. Bedaquiline and the M2 metabolite plasma concentrations were quantified, and nonlinear mixed-effects modeling performed. Pediatric data were described using a pre-established model of bedaquiline pharmacokinetics in adults. The exposure reference was 187 µg ⋅ h/mL, the median weekly area under the curve (AUC) of adults at week 24 of treatment with bedaquiline. Safety was assessed through monthly clinical, blood and electrocardiogram monitoring, and treatment outcomes described.
RESULTS: Fifteen children (3 human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]-positive) with median age 13.3 years (range 6.5-16.3) were included. A bedaquiline pharmacokinetic model was adapted to be allometrically scaled in clearance and volume, centered in the median child population weight. Bedaquiline bioavailability was 57% of that in adults. Overall bedaquiline exposures were below target, and AUC reference attainment was achieved in only 3 (20%) children. Ten children experienced 27 adverse events at least possibly related to bedaquiline; no adverse events led to bedaquiline withdrawal. Two adverse events (arthritis and arthralgia) were considered severe, and 2 children had mild QT interval corrected for heart rate using Fridericia's formula (QT) prolongation.
CONCLUSIONS: The evaluated doses of bedaquiline in children ≥ 6 years of age were safe but achieved slightly lower plasma concentrations compared to adults receiving the recommended dose, possibly due to delayed food intake relative to bedaquiline administration.
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious
Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail:
journals.permissions@oup.com.
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac252
PMCID: PMC9662178
PMID: 35377434 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
6. Evaluation of two short standardised regimens for the treatment of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (STREAM stage 2): an open-label, multicentre, randomised, non-inferiority trial
BACKGROUND: The STREAM stage 1 trial showed that a 9-month regimen for the treatment of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis was non-inferior to the 20-month 2011 WHO-recommended regimen. In STREAM stage 2, we aimed to compare two bedaquiline-containing regimens with the 9-month STREAM stage 1 regimen.
METHODS: We did a randomised, phase 3, non-inferiority trial in 13 hospital clinics in seven countries, in individuals aged 15 years or older with rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis without fluoroquinolone or aminoglycoside resistance. Participants were randomly assigned 1:2:2:2 to the 2011 WHO regimen (terminated early), a 9-month control regimen, a 9-month oral regimen with bedaquiline (primary comparison), or a 6-month regimen with bedaquiline and 8 weeks of second-line injectable. Randomisations were stratified by site, HIV status, and CD4 count. Participants and clinicians were aware of treatment-group assignments, but laboratory staff were masked. The primary outcome was favourable status (negative cultures for Mycobacterium tuberculosis without a preceding unfavourable outcome) at 76 weeks; any death, bacteriological failure or recurrence, and major treatment change were considered unfavourable outcomes. All comparisons used groups of participants randomly assigned concurrently. For non-inferiority to be shown, the upper boundary of the 95% CI should be less than 10% in both modified intention-to-treat (mITT) and per-protocol analyses, with prespecified tests for superiority done if non-inferiority was shown. This trial is registered with ISRCTN, ISRCTN18148631.
FINDINGS: Between March 28, 2016, and Jan 28, 2020, 1436 participants were screened and 588 were randomly assigned. Of 517 participants in the mITT population, 133 (71%) of 187 on the control regimen and 162 (83%) of 196 on the oral regimen had a favourable outcome: a difference of 11·0% (95% CI 2·9–19·0), adjusted for HIV status and randomisation protocol (p<0·0001 for non-inferiority). By 76 weeks, 108 (53%) of 202 participants on the control regimen and 106 (50%) of 211 allocated to the oral regimen had an adverse event of grade 3 or 4; five (2%) participants on the control regimen and seven (3%) on the oral regimen had died. Hearing loss (Brock grade 3 or 4) was more frequent in participants on the control regimen than in those on the oral regimen (18 [9%] vs four [2%], p=0·0015). Of 134 participants in the mITT population who were allocated to the 6-month regimen, 122 (91%) had a favourable outcome compared with 87 (69%) of 127 participants randomly assigned concurrently to the control regimen (adjusted difference 22·2%, 95% CI 13·1–31·2); six (4%) of 143 participants on the 6-month regimen had grade 3 or 4 hearing loss.
INTERPRETATION: Both bedaquiline-containing regimens, a 9-month oral regimen and a 6-month regimen with 8 weeks of second-line injectable, had superior efficacy compared with a 9-month injectable-containing regimen, with fewer cases of hearing loss.
FUNDING: USAID and Janssen Research & Development.
Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02078-5
PMID: 36368336 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
From our October 2022 Newsletter
Mutation detection and minimum inhibitory concentration determination against linezolid and clofazimine in confirmed XDR-TB clinical isolates.
BMC Microbiol. 2022 Oct 3;22(1):236. doi: 10.1186/s12866-022-02622-x.
Singh K(1), Sharma S(1), Banerjee T(1), Gupta A(2), Anupurba S(3).
BACKGROUND: The emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has complicated the situation due to the decline in potency of second-line anti-tubercular drugs. This limits the treatment option for extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). The aim of this study was to determine and compare the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by agar dilution and resazurin microtiter assay (REMA) along with the detection of mutations against linezolid and clofazimine in confirmed XDR-TB clinical isolates.
RESULTS: A total of 169 isolates were found positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). The MIC was determined by agar dilution and REMA methods. The isolates which showed non-susceptibility were further subjected to mutation detection by targeting rplC gene (linezolid) and Rv0678 gene (clofazimine). The MIC for linezolid ranged from 0.125 µg/ml to > 2 µg/ml and for clofazimine from 0.25 µg/ml to > 4 µg/ml. The MIC50 and MIC90 for linezolid were 0.5 µg/ml and 1 µg/ml respectively while for clofazimine both were 1 µg/ml. The essential and categorical agreement for linezolid was 97.63% and 95.26% and for clofazimine, both were 100%. The sequencing result of the rplC gene revealed a point mutation at position 460 bp, where thymine (T) was substituted for cytosine (C) while seven mutations were noted between 46 to 220 bp in Rv0678 gene.
CONCLUSION: REMA method has been found to be more suitable in comparison to the agar dilution method due to lesser turnaround time. Mutations in rplC and Rv0678 genes were reasons for drug resistance against linezolid and clofazimine respectively.
© 2022. The Author(s).
DOI: 10.1186/s12866-022-02622-x
PMCID: PMC9531458
PMID: 36192704 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
2. Caregiver willingness to give TPT to children living with drug-resistant TB patients.
Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2022 Oct 1;26(10):949-955. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.21.0760.
Rouzier V(1), Murrill M(2), Kim S(3), Naini L(4), Shenje J(5), Mitchell E(6), Raesi M(7), Lourens M(8), Mendoza A(9), Conradie F(10), Suryavanshi N(11), Hughes M(12), Shah S(13), Churchyard G(14), Swindells S(15), Hesseling A(16), Gupta A(1).
BACKGROUND Pediatric household contacts (HHCs) of patients with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) are at high risk of infection and active disease. Evidence of caregiver willingness to give MDR-TB preventive therapy (TPT) to children is limited.
METHODS This was a cross-sectional study of HHCs of patients with MDR-TB to assess caregiver willingness to give TPT to children aged <13 years.
RESULTS Of 743 adult and adolescent HHCs, 299 reported caring for children aged <13 years of age. The median caregiver age was 35 years (IQR 27-48); 75% were women. Among caregivers, 89% were willing to give children MDR TPT. In unadjusted analyses, increased willingness was associated with TB-related knowledge (OR 5.1, 95% CI 2.3-11.3), belief that one can die of MDR-TB (OR 5.2, 95% CI 1.2-23.4), concern for MDR-TB transmission to child (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.6-12.4), confidence in properly taking TPT (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.6-12.6), comfort telling family about TPT (OR 5.5, 95% CI 2.1-14.3), and willingness to take TPT oneself (OR 35.1, 95% CI 11.0-112.8).
CONCLUSIONS A high percentage of caregivers living with MDR- or rifampicin-resistant TB patients were willing to give children a hypothetical MDR TPT. These results provide important evidence for the potential uptake of effective MDR TPT when implemented.
DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.21.0760
PMCID: PMC9524515
PMID: 36163664 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
3. Safety of Treatment Regimens Containing Bedaquiline and Delamanid in the endTB Cohort.
Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Sep 29;75(6):1006-1013. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac019.
Hewison C(1), Khan U(2), Bastard M(3), Lachenal N(4), Coutisson S(4), Osso E(5), Ahmed S(6), Khan P(2), Franke MF(5), Rich ML(5)(7), Varaine F(1), Melikyan N(3), Seung KJ(5)(7), Adenov M(8), Adnan S(9), Danielyan N(10), Islam S(11), Janmohamed A(6), Karakozian H(12), Kamene Kimenye M(13), Kirakosyan O(14), Kholikulov B(15), Krisnanda A(16), Kumsa A(17), Leblanc G(18), Lecca L(19), Nkuebe M(20), Mamsa S(9), Padayachee S(21), Thit P(22), Mitnick CD(5)(7), Huerga H(3).
Comment in doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac347.
BACKGROUND: Safety of treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) can be an obstacle to treatment completion. Evaluate safety of longer MDR/RR-TB regimens containing bedaquiline and/or delamanid.
METHODS: Multicentre (16 countries), prospective, observational study reporting incidence and frequency of clinically relevant adverse events of special interest (AESIs) among patients who received MDR/RR-TB treatment containing bedaquiline and/or delamanid. The AESIs were defined a priori as important events caused by bedaquiline, delamanid, linezolid, injectables, and other commonly used drugs. Occurrence of these events was also reported by exposure to the likely causative agent.
RESULTS: Among 2296 patients, the most common clinically relevant AESIs were peripheral neuropathy (26.4%), electrolyte depletion (26.0%), and hearing loss (13.2%) with an incidence per 1000 person months of treatment, 1000 person-months of treatment 21.5 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 19.8-23.2), 20.7 (95% CI: 19.1-22.4), and 9.7 (95% CI: 8.6-10.8), respectively. QT interval was prolonged in 2.7% or 1.8 (95% CI: 1.4-2.3)/1000 person-months of treatment. Patients receiving injectables (N = 925) and linezolid (N = 1826) were most likely to experience events during exposure. Hearing loss, acute renal failure, or electrolyte depletion occurred in 36.8% or 72.8 (95% CI: 66.0-80.0) times/1000 person-months of injectable drug exposure. Peripheral neuropathy, optic neuritis, and/or myelosuppression occurred in 27.8% or 22.8 (95% CI: 20.9-24.8) times/1000 patient-months of linezolid exposure.
CONCLUSIONS: AEs often related to linezolid and injectable drugs were more common than those frequently attributed to bedaquiline and delamanid. MDR-TB treatment monitoring and drug durations should reflect expected safety profiles of drug combinations.
CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT02754765.
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac019
PMCID: PMC9522425
PMID: 35028659 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
4. Sequencing Mycobacteria and Algorithm-determined Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment (SMARTT): a study protocol for a phase IV pragmatic randomized controlled patient management strategy trial.
Trials. 2022 Oct 8;23(1):864. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06793-w.
Van Rie A(1), De Vos E(2), Costa E(3), Verboven L(2), Ndebele F(4), Heupink TH(2), Abrams S(2); SMARTT team, Fanampe B(5), Van der Spoel Van Dyk A(6), Charalambous S(4), Churchyard G(4), Warren R(3).
Collaborators: Maraba N, Makkan H, Beattie T, Sibeko ZR, Bohlela S, Segwaba P, Ogunbayo EA, Mhlambi N, Wells F, Rigouts L, Maartens G, Conradie F, Black J, Potgieter S.
BACKGROUND: Rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) remains an important global health problem. Ideally, the complete drug-resistance profile guides individualized treatment for all RR-TB patients, but this is only practised in high-income countries. Implementation of whole genome sequencing (WGS) technologies into routine care in low and middle-income countries has not become a reality due to the expected implementation challenges, including translating WGS results into individualized treatment regimen composition.
METHODS: This trial is a pragmatic, single-blinded, randomized controlled medical device trial of a WGS-guided automated treatment recommendation strategy for individualized treatment of RR-TB. Subjects are 18 years or older and diagnosed with pulmonary RR-TB in four of the five health districts of the Free State province in South Africa. Participants are randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention (a WGS-guided automated treatment recommendation strategy for individualized treatment of RR-TB) or control (RR-TB treatment according to the national South African guidelines). The primary effectiveness outcome is the bacteriological response to treatment measured as the rate of change in time to liquid culture positivity during the first 6 months of treatment. Secondary effectiveness outcomes include cure rate, relapse rate (recurrence of RR-TB disease) and TB free survival rate in the first 12 months following RR-TB treatment completion. Additional secondary outcomes of interest include safety, the feasibility of province-wide implementation of the strategy into routine care, and health economic assessment from a patient and health systems perspective.
DISCUSSION: This trial will provide important real-life evidence regarding the feasibility, safety, cost, and effectiveness of a WGS-guided automated treatment recommendation strategy for individualized treatment of RR-TB. Given the pragmatic nature, the trial will assist policymakers in the decision-making regarding the integration of next-generation sequencing technologies into routine RR-TB care in high TB burden settings.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05017324. Registered on August 23, 2021.
© 2022. The Author(s).
DOI: 10.1186/s13063-022-06793-w
PMCID: PMC9548157
PMID: 36209235 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
5. Patient and health-care provider experience of a person-centred, multidisciplinary, psychosocial support and harm reduction programme for patients with harmful use of alcohol and drug-resistant tuberculosis in Minsk, Belarus.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Sep 30;22(1):1217. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08525-x.
Harrison RE(1), Shyleika V(1), Falkenstein C(1), Garsevanidze E(1), Vishnevskaya O(1), Lonnroth K(2), Sayakci Ö(1), Sinha A(3), Sitali N(4), Skrahina A(5), Stringer B(3), Tan C(6), Mar HT(1), Venis S(3), Vetushko D(5), Viney K(2)(7), Vishneuski R(1), Carrion Martin AI(8).
BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) often concentrates in groups of people with complex health and social issues, including alcohol use disorders (AUD). Risk of TB, and poor TB treatment outcomes, are substantially elevated in people who have AUD. Médecins sans Frontières and the Belarus Ministry of Health have worked to improve treatment adherence in patients with multi-drug or rifampicin resistant (MDR/RR)-TB and harmful use of alcohol. In 2016, a person-centred, multidisciplinary, psychosocial support and harm reduction programme delivered
by TB doctors, counsellors, psychiatrists, health-educators, and social workers was initiated. In 2020, we described patient and provider experiences within the programme as part of a wider evaluation.
METHODS: We recruited 12 patients and 20 health-care workers, using purposive sampling, for in-depth individual interviews and focus group discussions. We used a participant-led, flexible, exploratory approach, enabling participants and the interviewer to shape topics of conversation. Qualitative data were coded manually and analysed thematically. As part of the analysis process, identified themes were shared with health-care worker participants to enable their reflections to be incorporated into the findings.
RESULTS: Key themes related to the patients' and practitioners experience of having and treating MDRTB with associated complex health and social issues were: fragility and despair and guidance, trust and health. Prejudice and marginalisation were global to both themes. Counsellors and other health workers built a trusting relationship with patients, enabling guidance through a multi-disciplinary approach, which supported patients to achieve their vision of health. This guidance was achieved by a team of social workers, counsellors, doctors and health-educators who provided professional and individualised help for patients' illnesses, personal or interpersonal problems, administrative tasks, and job searches.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MDR/RR-TB and harmful use of alcohol faced complex issues during treatment. Our findings describe how person-centred, multi-disciplinary, psychosocial support helped patients in this setting to cope with these challenges and complete the treatment programme. We recommend that these findings are used to: i) inform programmatic changes to further boost the person-centred care nature of this program; and ii) advocate for this type of person-centred care approach to be rolled out across Belarus, and in contexts that face similar challenges.
© 2022. The Author(s).
DOI: 10.1186/s12913-022-08525-x
PMCID: PMC9523183
PMID: 36180873 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
6. Safety and Effectiveness Outcomes From a 14-Country Cohort of Patients With Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Treated Concomitantly With Bedaquiline, Delamanid, and Other Second-Line Drugs.
Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Oct 12;75(8):1307-1314. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac176.
Huerga H(1), Khan U(2), Bastard M(1), Mitnick CD(3)(4)(5), Lachenal N(6), Khan PY(2)(7), Seung KJ(3)(4)(5), Melikyan N(1), Ahmed S(8), Rich ML(3)(4)(5), Varaine F(9), Osso E(3)(6), Rashitov M(10), Salahuddin N(11), Salia G(12), Sánchez E(13), Serobyan A(14), Rafi Siddiqui M(15), Grium Tefera D(16), Vetushko D(17), Yeghiazaryan L(18), Holtzman D(19), Islam S(11), Kumsa A(20), Jacques Leblanc G(21), Leonovich O(22), Mamsa S(11), Manzur-Ul-Alam M(23), Myint Z(24), Padayachee S(25), Franke MF(3), Hewison C(9).
BACKGROUND: Concomitant use of bedaquiline (Bdq) and delamanid (Dlm) for multi-drug/rifampicin resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) has raised concerns about a potentially poor risk-benefit ratio. Yet this combination is an important alternative for patients infected with strains of TB with complex drug resistance profiles or who cannot tolerate other therapies. We assessed safety and treatment outcomes of MDR/RR-TB patients receiving concomitant Bdq and Dlm, along with other second-line anti-TB drugs.
METHODS: We conducted a multi-centric, prospective observational cohort study across 14 countries among patients receiving concomitant Bdq-Dlm treatment. Patients were recruited between April 2015 and September 2018 and were followed until the end of treatment. All serious adverse events and adverse events of special interest (AESI), leading to a treatment change, or judged significant by a clinician, were systematically monitored and documented.
RESULTS: Overall, 472 patients received Bdq and Dlm concomitantly. A large majority also received linezolid (89.6%) and clofazimine (84.5%). Nearly all (90.3%) had extensive disease; most (74.2%) had resistance to fluoroquinolones. The most common AESI were peripheral neuropathy (134, 28.4%) and electrolyte depletion (94, 19.9%). Acute kidney injury and myelosuppression were seen in 40 (8.5%) and 24 (5.1%) of patients, respectively. QT prolongation occurred in 7 patients (1.5%). Overall, 78.0% (358/458) had successful treatment outcomes, 8.9% died, and 7.2% experienced treatment failure.
CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant use of Bdq and Dlm, along with linezolid and clofazimine, is safe and effective for MDR/RR-TB patients with extensive disease. Using these drugs concomitantly is a good therapeutic option for patients with resistance to many anti-TB drugs.
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac176
PMCID: PMC9555840
PMID: 35243494 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
From our September 2022 Newsletter
1. High clustering rate and genotypic drug-susceptibility screening for the newly recommended anti-tuberculosis drugs among global extensively drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates
Emerg Microbes Infect. 2022 Dec;11(1):1857-1866. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2022.2099304.
Trisakul K(1)(2), Nonghanphithak D(1)(2), Chaiyachat P(1)(2), Kaewprasert O(1)(2), Sakmongkoljit K(3), Reechaipichitkul W(1)(2), Chaiprasert A(4), Blair D(5), Clark TG(6), Faksri K(1)(2).
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) make TB difficult to control. Global susceptibility data for six newly recommended anti-TB drugs against M/XDR-TB are still limited. Using publicly available whole-genome sequences, we determined the proportion of 513 phenotypically XDR-TB isolates that carried mutations associated with resistance against these drugs (bedaquiline, clofazimine, linezolid, delamanid, pretomanid and cycloserine). Mutations of Rv0678 and Rv1979c were detected in 69/513 isolates (13.5%) for bedaquiline resistance and 79/513 isolates (15.4%)
for clofazimine resistance with additional mmpL5 mutations. Mutations conferring resistance to delamanid were detected in fbiB and ddn genes for 11/513 isolates (2.1%). For pretomanid, a mutation was detected in the ddn gene for 3/513 isolates (0.6%). Nineteen mutations of pykA, cycA, ald, and alr genes, conferring resistance to cycloserine, were found in 153/513 isolates (29.8%). No known mutations associated with linezolid resistance were detected. Cluster analysis showed that 408/513 isolates fell within 99 clusters and that 354 of these isolates were possible primary drug-resistant TB (292 XDR-TB, 57 pre-XDR-TB and 5 MDR-TB). Clonal transmission of primary XDR isolates might contribute significantly to the high prevalence of DR-TB globally.
DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2022.2099304
PMCID: PMC9336503
PMID: 35792049 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
2. Investigating resistance in clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates with genomic and phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing: a multicentre observational study.
Lancet Microbe. 2022 Sep;3(9):e672-e682. doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00116-1. Epub 2022 Jul 27.
Finci I(1), Albertini A(2), Merker M(3), Andres S(4), Bablishvili N(5), Barilar I(6), Cáceres T(7), Crudu V(8), Gotuzzo E(7), Hapeela N(9), Hoffmann H(10), Hoogland C(2), Kohl TA(6), Kranzer K(11), Mantsoki A(2), Maurer FP(12), Nicol MP(13), Noroc E(8), Plesnik S(14), Rodwell T(15), Ruhwald M(2), Savidge T(16), Salfinger M(17), Streicher E(18), Tukvadze N(5), Warren R(18), Zemanay W(9), Zurek A(19), Niemann S(6), Denkinger CM(20).
BACKGROUND: Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex has become an important tool in diagnosis and management of drug-resistant tuberculosis. However, data correlating resistance genotype with quantitative phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) are scarce.
METHODS: In a prospective multicentre observational study, 900 clinical M tuberculosis complex isolates were collected from adults with drug-resistant tuberculosis in five high-endemic tuberculosis settings around the world (Georgia, Moldova, Peru, South Africa, and Viet Nam) between Dec 5, 2014, and Dec 12, 2017. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and resulting binary phenotypic AST results for up to nine antituberculosis drugs were determined and correlated with resistance-conferring mutations identified by WGS.
FINDINGS: Considering WHO-endorsed critical concentrations as reference, WGS had high accuracy for prediction of resistance to isoniazid (sensitivity 98·8% [95% CI 98·5-99·0]; specificity 96·6% [95% CI 95·2-97·9]), levofloxacin (sensitivity 94·8% [93·3-97·6]; specificity 97·1% [96·7-97·6]), kanamycin (sensitivity 96·1%
[95·4-96·8]; specificity 95·0% [94·4-95·7]), amikacin (sensitivity 97·2% [96·4-98·1]; specificity 98·6% [98·3-98·9]), and capreomycin (sensitivity 93·1% [90·0-96·3]; specificity 98·3% [98·0-98·7]). For rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, the specificity of resistance prediction was suboptimal (64·0% [61·0-67·1], 83·8% [81·0-86·5], and 40·1% [37·4-42·9], respectively). Specificity for rifampicin increased to 83·9% when borderline mutations with MICs overlapping with the critical concentration were excluded. Consequently, we highlighted mutations in M tuberculosis complex isolates that are often falsely identified as susceptible by phenotypic AST, and we identified potential novel resistance-conferring mutations.
INTERPRETATION: The combined analysis of mutations and quantitative phenotypes shows the potential of WGS to produce a refined interpretation of resistance, which is needed for individualised therapy, and eventually could allow differential drug dosing. However, variability of MIC data for some M tuberculosis complex isolates carrying identical mutations also reveals limitations of our understanding of the genotype and phenotype relationships (eg, including epistasis and strain genetic background).
FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, German Centre for Infection Research,
German Research Foundation, Excellence Cluster Precision Medicine of Inflammation (EXC 2167), and Leibniz ScienceCampus EvoLUNG. Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00116-1
PMCID: PMC9436784
PMID: 35907429 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
3. Pharmacokinetics and Safety of WHO-Recommended Dosage and Higher Dosage of Levofloxacin for Tuberculosis Treatment in Children: a Pilot Study.
Int J Infect Dis. 2022 Sep;122:603-608. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.07.029. Epub
2022 Jul 13.
Jantarabenjakul W(1), Suntarattiwong P(2), Wacharachaisurapol N(3), Supradish Na Ayudhya P(2), Phaisal W(4), Tawan M(5), Moonwong J(5), Sudjaritruk T(6), Chariyavilaskul P(4), Puthanakit T(7).
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the pharmacokinetic parameters of the 2020 World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended pediatric dosage of levofloxacin and the higher-than-WHO dosage.
METHODS: Children aged 1-15 years with tuberculosis who received levofloxacin-based treatment for at least 7 days were enrolled. First, five children were enrolled to receive the WHO-recommended dosage (15-20 mg/kg/day), then an additional five children received a dosage higher than the WHO-recommended dosage (20-30 mg/kg/day). Blood samples were collected at predose and postdose 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 hours. A target of the ratio of the free area under the concentration-time curve to minimum inhibitory concentration (fAUC/MIC) was 100.
RESULTS: The median (interquartile range) age was 9.6 (4.9-10.5) and 12.0 (10.1-12.3) years in the WHO dosage and higher-than-WHO dosage groups, respectively. The median (interquartile range) duration of antituberculosis treatment was 24 (8-24) weeks. The geometric mean (95% confidence interval) of fAUC/MIC was 60.4 (43.5-84.0) and 103.2 (70.1-151.8) in the WHO and higher-than-WHO dosage groups, respectively. There was no adverse event of QT prolongation or any other grade 3 or 4 adverse events.
CONCLUSION: Levofloxacin at a higher dose of 20-30 mg/kg/day could achieve the fAUC/MIC target in children.
Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.07.029
PMID: 35842213 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
4. Bedaquiline-Pretomanid-Linezolid Regimens for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis.
N Engl J Med. 2022 Sep 1;387(9):810-823. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2119430.
Conradie F(1), Bagdasaryan TR(1), Borisov S(1), Howell P(1), Mikiashvili L(1), Ngubane N(1), Samoilova A(1), Skornykova S(1), Tudor E(1), Variava E(1), Yablonskiy P(1), Everitt D(1), Wills GH(1), Sun E(1), Olugbosi M(1), Egizi E(1), Li M(1), Holsta A(1), Timm J(1), Bateson A(1), Crook AM(1), Fabiane SM(1), Hunt R(1), McHugh TD(1), Tweed CD(1), Foraida S(1), Mendel CM(1), Spigelman M(1); ZeNix Trial Team.
Collaborators: Bagdasaryan T, Conradie F, Ngubane N, Howell P, Borisov S,
Mikiashvili L, Variava E, Samoilova A, Yablonskiy P, Tudor E, Skornyakov S,
Thompson L, Canseco JO, Paleckyte A, Solanki P, Choo L, Witney AA.
Comment in N Engl J Med. 2022 Sep 1;387(9):842-843.
BACKGROUND: The bedaquiline-pretomanid-linezolid regimen has been reported to have 90% efficacy against highly drug-resistant tuberculosis, but the incidence of adverse events with 1200 mg of linezolid daily has been high. The appropriate dose of linezolid and duration of treatment with this agent to minimize toxic effects while maintaining efficacy against highly drug-resistant tuberculosis are unclear.
METHODS: We enrolled participants with extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (i.e., resistant to rifampin, a fluoroquinolone, and an aminoglycoside), pre-XDR tuberculosis (i.e., resistant to rifampin and to either a fluoroquinolone or an aminoglycoside), or rifampin-resistant tuberculosis that was not responsive to treatment or for which a second-line regimen had been discontinued because of side effects. We randomly assigned the participants to receive bedaquiline for 26 weeks (200 mg daily for 8 weeks, then 100 mg daily for 18 weeks), pretomanid (200 mg daily for 26 weeks), and daily linezolid at a dose of 1200 mg for 26 weeks or 9 weeks or 600 mg for 26 weeks or 9 weeks. The primary end point in the modified intention-to-treat population was the incidence of an unfavorable outcome, defined as treatment failure or disease relapse (clinical or bacteriologic) at 26 weeks after completion of treatment. Safety was also evaluated.
RESULTS: A total of 181 participants were enrolled, 88% of whom had XDR or pre-XDR tuberculosis. Among participants who received bedaquiline-pretomanid-linezolid with linezolid at a dose of 1200 mg for 26 weeks or 9 weeks or 600 mg for 26 weeks or 9 weeks, 93%, 89%, 91%, and 84%, respectively, had a favorable outcome; peripheral neuropathy occurred in 38%, 24%, 24%, and 13%, respectively; myelosuppression occurred in 22%, 15%, 2%, and 7%, respectively; and the linezolid dose was modified (i.e., interrupted, reduced, or discontinued) in 51%, 30%, 13%, and 13%, respectively. Optic neuropathy developed in 4 participants (9%) who had received linezolid at a dose of 1200 mg for 26 weeks; all the cases resolved. Six of the seven unfavorable microbiologic outcomes through 78 weeks of follow-up occurred in participants assigned to the 9-week linezolid groups.
CONCLUSIONS: A total of 84 to 93% of the participants across all four bedaquiline-pretomanid-linezolid treatment groups had a favorable outcome. The overall risk-benefit ratio favored the group that received the three-drug regimen with linezolid at a dose of 600 mg for 26 weeks, with a lower incidence of adverse events reported and fewer linezolid dose modifications. (Funded by the TB Alliance and others; ZeNix ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03086486.).
Copyright © 2022 Massachusetts Medical Society.
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2119430
PMID: 36053506 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
From our August 2022 Newsletter
1. Population Pharmacokinetics of Delamanid and its Main Metabolite DM-6705 in Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Patients Receiving Delamanid Alone or Coadministered with Bedaquiline.
Clin Pharmacokinet. 2022 Aug;61(8):1177-1185. doi: 10.1007/s40262-022-01133-2. Epub 2022 Jun 7.
Tanneau L(1), Karlsson MO(1), Diacon AH(2), Shenje J(3), De Los Rios J(4), Wiesner L(5), Upton CM(2), Dooley KE(6), Maartens G(5), Svensson EM(7)(8).
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Delamanid is a nitroimidazole, a novel class of drug for treating tuberculosis, and is primarily metabolized by albumin into the metabolite DM-6705. The aims of this analysis were to develop a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model to characterize the concentration-time course of delamanid and DM-6705 in adults with drug-resistant tuberculosis and to explore a potential drug-drug interaction with bedaquiline when coadministered.
METHODS: Delamanid and DM-6705 concentrations after oral administration, from 52 participants (of whom 26 took bedaquiline concurrently and 20 were HIV-1 positive) enrolled in the DELIBERATE trial were analyzed using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling.
RESULTS: Delamanid PK were described by a one-compartment disposition model with transit compartment absorption (mean absorption time of 1.45 h [95% confidence interval 0.501-2.20]) and linear elimination, while the PK of DM-6705 metabolite were described by a one-compartment disposition model with delamanid clearance as input and linear elimination. Predicted terminal half-life values for delamanid and DM-6705 were 15.1 h and 7.8 days, respectively. The impact of plasma albumin concentrations on delamanid metabolism was not significant. Bedaquiline coadministration did not affect delamanid PK. Other than allometric scaling with body weight, no patients' demographics were significant (including HIV).
CONCLUSIONS: This is the first joint PK model of delamanid and its DM-6705 metabolite. As such, it can be utilized in future exposure-response or exposure-safety analyses. Importantly, albumin concentrations, bedaquiline coadministration, and HIV co-infection (dolutegravir coadministration) did not have an effect on delamanid and DM-6705 PK.
© 2022. The Author(s).
DOI: 10.1007/s40262-022-01133-2
PMCID: PMC9349160
PMID: 35668346 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
2. Integrative analysis of clinical health records, imaging and pathogen genomics identifies personalized predictors of disease prognosis in tuberculosis.
medRxiv. 2022 Jul 21:2022.07.20.22277862. doi: 10.1101/2022.07.20.22277862. Preprint.
Sambarey A, Smith K, Chung C, Arora HS, Yang Z, Agarwal P, Chandrasekaran S.
Tuberculosis (TB) afflicts over 10 million people every year and its global burden is projected to increase dramatically due to multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in reduced access to TB diagnosis and treatment, reversing decades of progress in disease management globally. It is thus crucial to analyze real-world multi-domain information from patient health records to determine personalized predictors of TB treatment outcome and drug resistance. We conduct a retrospective analysis on electronic health records of 5060 TB patients spanning 10 countries with high burden of MDR-TB including Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and India available on the NIAID-TB portals database. We analyze over 200 features across multiple host and pathogen modalities representing patient social demographics, disease presentations as seen in cChest X rays and CT scans, and genomic records with drug susceptibility features of the pathogen strain from each patient. Our machine learning model, built with diverse data modalities outperforms models built using each modality alone in predicting treatment outcomes, with an accuracy of 81% and AUC of 0.768. We determine robust predictors across countries that are associated with unsuccessful treatmentclinical outcomes, and validate our predictions on new patient data from TB Portals. Our analysis of drug regimens and drug interactions suggests that synergistic drug combinations and those containing the drugs Bedaquiline, Levofloxacin, Clofazimine and Amoxicillin see more success in treating MDR and XDR TB. Features identified via chest imaging such as percentage of abnormal volume, size of lung cavitation and bronchial obstruction are associated significantly with pathogen genomic attributes of drug resistance. Increased disease severity was also observed in patients with lower BMI and with comorbidities. Our integrated multi-modal analysis thus revealed significant associations between radiological, microbiological, therapeutic, and demographic data modalities, providing a deeper understanding of personalized responses to aid in the clinical management of TB.
DOI: 10.1101/2022.07.20.22277862
PMCID: PMC9327630
PMID: 35898335
3. A data compendium associating the genomes of 12,289 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates with quantitative resistance phenotypes to 13 antibiotics.
PLoS Biol. 2022 Aug 9;20(8):e3001721. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001721. eCollection 2022 Aug.
The CRyPTIC Consortium.
Comment in
Genome-wide association studies of global Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistance to thirteen antimicrobials in 10,228 genomes identify new resistance mechanisms.
The Comprehensive Resistance Prediction for Tuberculosis: an International Consortium (CRyPTIC) presents here a data compendium of 12,289 Mycobacterium tuberculosis global clinical isolates, all of which have undergone whole-genome sequencing and have had their minimum inhibitory concentrations to 13 antitubercular drugs measured in a single assay. It is the largest matched phenotypic and genotypic dataset for M. tuberculosis to date. Here, we provide a summary detailing the breadth of data collected, along with a description of how the isolates were selected, collected, and uniformly processed in CRyPTIC partner laboratories across 23 countries. The compendium contains 6,814 isolates resistant to at least 1 drug, including 2,129 samples that fully satisfy the clinical definitions of rifampicin resistant (RR), multidrug resistant (MDR), pre-extensively drug resistant (pre-XDR), or extensively drug resistant (XDR). The data are enriched for rare resistance-associated variants, and the current limits of genotypic prediction of resistance status (sensitive/resistant) are presented by using a genetic mutation catalogue, along with the presence of suspected resistance-conferring mutations for isolates resistant to the newly introduced drugs bedaquiline, clofazimine, delamanid, and linezolid. Finally, a case study of rifampicin monoresistance demonstrates how this compendium could be used to advance our genetic understanding of rare resistance phenotypes. The data compendium is fully open source and it is hoped that it will facilitate and inspire future research for years to come.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001721
PMCID: PMC9363010
PMID: 35944069 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
4. Investigating resistance in clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates with genomic and phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing: a multicentre observational study.
Lancet Microbe. 2022 Jul 27:S2666-5247(22)00116-1. doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00116-1. Online ahead of print.
Finci I(1), Albertini A(2), Merker M(3), Andres S(4), Bablishvili N(5), Barilar I(6), Cáceres T(7), Crudu V(8), Gotuzzo E(7), Hapeela N(9), Hoffmann H(10), Hoogland C(2), Kohl TA(6), Kranzer K(11), Mantsoki A(2), Maurer FP(12), Nicol MP(13), Noroc E(8), Plesnik S(14), Rodwell T(15), Ruhwald M(2), Savidge T(16), Salfinger M(17), Streicher E(18), Tukvadze N(5), Warren R(18), Zemanay W(9), Zurek A(19), Niemann S(6), Denkinger CM(20).
BACKGROUND: Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex has become an important tool in diagnosis and management of drug-resistant tuberculosis. However, data correlating resistance genotype with quantitative phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) are scarce.
METHODS: In a prospective multicentre observational study, 900 clinical M tuberculosis complex isolates were collected from adults with drug-resistant tuberculosis in five high-endemic tuberculosis settings around the world (Georgia, Moldova, Peru, South Africa, and Viet Nam) between Dec 5, 2014, and Dec 12, 2017. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and resulting binary phenotypic AST results for up to nine antituberculosis drugs were determined and correlated with resistance-conferring mutations identified by WGS.
FINDINGS: Considering WHO-endorsed critical concentrations as reference, WGS had high accuracy for prediction of resistance to isoniazid (sensitivity 98·8% [95% CI 98·5-99·0]; specificity 96·6% [95% CI 95·2-97·9]), levofloxacin (sensitivity 94·8% [93·3-97·6]; specificity 97·1% [96·7-97·6]), kanamycin (sensitivity 96·1% [95·4-96·8]; specificity 95·0% [94·4-95·7]), amikacin (sensitivity 97·2% [96·4-98·1]; specificity 98·6% [98·3-98·9]), and capreomycin (sensitivity 93·1% [90·0-96·3]; specificity 98·3% [98·0-98·7]). For rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, the specificity of resistance prediction was suboptimal (64·0% [61·0-67·1], 83·8% [81·0-86·5], and 40·1% [37·4-42·9], respectively). Specificity for rifampicin increased to 83·9% when borderline mutations with MICs overlapping with the critical concentration were excluded. Consequently, we highlighted mutations in M tuberculosis complex isolates that are often falsely identified as susceptible by phenotypic AST, and we identified potential novel resistance-conferring mutations.
INTERPRETATION: The combined analysis of mutations and quantitative phenotypes shows the potential of WGS to produce a refined interpretation of resistance, which is needed for individualised therapy, and eventually could allow differential drug dosing. However, variability of MIC data for some M
tuberculosis complex isolates carrying identical mutations also reveals limitations of our understanding of the genotype and phenotype relationships (eg, including epistasis and strain genetic background).
FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, German Centre for Infection Research, German Research Foundation, Excellence Cluster Precision Medicine of Inflammation (EXC 2167), and Leibniz ScienceCampus EvoLUNG.
Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open
Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All
rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00116-1
PMID: 35907429