Management of paediatric tuberculosis in provincial and district hospitals in Afghanistan

Case detection, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis [TB] in children are challenging issues worldwide. This study in Afghanistan aimed to evaluate paediatric TB case management, including contact investigation, at health facilities where all diagnostic processes were available. In 7 out of 8 regions of the country 1 province was selected. Documents used for management of paediatric TB cases were reviewed in 15 distinct hospitals and 8 provincial hospitals in the selected provinces. The key issues which emerged were: a low suspect rate among total outpatients [0.4%] and a very low suspect rate among children aged < 5 years; low performance of suspect management [68.5% suspects received further examinations]; low utilization of other diagnostic methods; a high early defaulter rate [14.0%]; and insufficient coverage of contact management [74.0%]. This survey indicated that the Afghanistan national TB programme needs to develop plans to improve the quality of diagnosis, suspect management and contact management in paediatric TB cases

[Molecular and histopathological findings on induced pulmonary lesions by bovine viral diarrhea virus]

The bovine viral diarrhea virus [BVDV] is one of the bovine respiratory system pathogens that represses lungs immunity and raises the pathogenicity of other bacteria and viruses. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of BVDV in lung tissue. In this study, 30 bovine lung tissues were used. Histopathologic analysis showed different lesions in lung tissues. RT-PCR test results and histopathologic observations were studied for each sample and compared. Kai Square Test was used to study any possible association between the existence of BVD virus and incidence of four common lesions: 1- Interestitial pneumonia, 2- bronchitis and bronchiolitis, 3- edema, emphysema and atelectasis and 4- bronchopneumonia. If the assumptions of X2 test were not applicable, the Fisher Exact Test was used. The RT-PCR test for BVDV results was positive for 10 lung samples. 5 BVD positive cases were involved with interestitial pneumonia, while 10 BVD negative cases were not affected. Finally, in the studied lung tissues, only the 3 + degree or severe interstitial pneumonia was significantly associated with the existence of BVD virus. No significant relation was seen regarding other possible lesions, which may have resulted from the probable roles of bacteria or other viruses and toxic factors that were not studied in this project