Active case-finding of pulmonary TB in an urban emergency department.

BACKGROUND: The WHO recommends systematic screening of TB in high TB prevalence settings. We evaluated an active case-finding strategy using sputum screening regardless of symptoms in a high TB prevalence Emergency Department (ED) in Peru.METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Hospital Nacional Dos de Mayo ED, which serves low-income populations in downtown Lima, Peru. Adults presenting to the ED for any reason and able to provide sputum were enrolled. Participants provided one sputum specimen for acid-fast bacilli smear and culture. A second sputum specimen for Xpert® MTB/RIF testing was collected if the patient was admitted to an ED observation unit.RESULTS: Between September 2017 and March 2018, 5,171 individuals who presented to the ED were approached. Of 2,119 individuals able to provide sputum, 78 (3.7%) participants had a positive culture and/or Xpert result and were newly diagnosed with TB, whereas traditional screening using >2-week cough identified 41 (1.9%) cases (3.7% vs. 1.9%; P < 0.001). Twelve TB cases (15.4%) reported no TB symptoms of any duration.CONCLUSION: ED-based active case-finding of pulmonary TB using symptom-neutral sputum screening increased TB identification compared to traditional symptom-based screening. Our results align with current WHO recommendation of systematic screening in high TB prevalence areas, which may include ED settings.

Tuberculosis transmission risk and infection control in a hospital emergency department in Lima, Peru.

BACKGROUND: Overcrowded emergency departments (EDs) are used by undiagnosed tuberculosis (TB) patients. TB infection control measures are seldom prioritized, making EDs potential foci of unrecognised nosocomial transmission. OBJECTIVE: To quantify TB infection risk among health care workers in an ED in a high TB-burden setting, Lima, Peru, and to evaluate TB infection control measures. METHODS: Consenting ED staff were tested for TB infection at baseline and after 1 year using the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-G). In parallel, sputum for TB culture was requested from patients spending >2 h in the ED, irrespective of presenting complaint. Infection control measures were documented and room ventilation measured. RESULTS: Over 1 year, there were 2246 TB patient-hours of exposure in the ED from 153 different patients. At baseline, 56% of the 70 staff recruited were QFT-G-positive; 27 of 31 baseline-negatives consented to follow-up after 1 year, and eight (30%, all clinical staff) tested positive. Annual incidence of infection was 1730 per 100,000 population. TB infection control measures were sub-optimal, with no patient screening, no isolation rooms, inadequate ventilation and sporadic respirator use. CONCLUSIONS: ED staff were exposed to an unexpectedly large TB burden in the workplace, resulting in a high rate of TB infection. TB infection control should be prioritized in EDs, especially in high-prevalence settings.

Treatment of cryptococcal meningitis in Peruvian AIDS patients using amphotericin B and fluconazole.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the mycologic and clinical outcomes and factors associated with failure in Peruvian patients with AIDS-associated cryptococcal meningitis (CM) treated with amphotericin B deoxycholate (Amph B) followed by fluconazole. METHODS: Patients were treated with intravenous Amph B 0.7 mg/kg/day for 2 or 3 weeks followed by oral fluconazole 400mg/day for 7 or 8 weeks. Clinical and laboratory evaluations including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) studies were performed at baseline and at weeks 2 and 10. RESULTS: The CSF cultures were negative in 25% and 68% of 47 patients at weeks 2 and 10, respectively. In the univariate analysis, baseline low body mass index (BMI), hyponatremia, low serum albumin, positive blood culture and CSF antigen titers >or=1024 were associated with a positive CSF culture at week 2. Baseline positive urine culture, positive blood culture, any positive extraneural culture and CSF opening pressure at week 2 >or=300 mm H2O were associated with a positive CSF culture at week 10. In the multivariate analysis no association was found. CONCLUSIONS: Therapy with Amph B and fluconazole, combined with aggressive management of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), results in low CSF sterilization rates at week 2 and acceptable CSF sterilization rates at week 10 when compared with other series.