Comparative Yield of Tuberculosis during Active Case Finding Using GeneXpert or Smear Microscopy for Diagnostic Testing in Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Study

Gurung, Suman Chandra, Dixit, Kritika, Rai, Bhola, Dhital, Raghu, Paudel, Puskar Raj, Acharya, Shraddha, Budhathoki, Gangaram, Malla, Deepak, Levy, Jens W., Lönnroth, Knut, Ramsay, Andrew, Basnyat, Buddha, Thapa, Anil, Mishra, Gokul, Subedi, Bishal, Shah, Mohammad Kashim, Shrestha, Anil and Caws, Maxine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9109-350X (2021) 'Comparative Yield of Tuberculosis during Active Case Finding Using GeneXpert or Smear Microscopy for Diagnostic Testing in Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Study'. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Vol 6, Issue 2, e50.

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Abstract

This study compared the yield of tuberculosis (TB) active case finding (ACF) interventions applied under TB REACH funding. Between June 2017 to November 2018, Birat Nepal Medical Trust identified presumptive cases using simple verbal screening from three interventions: door-to-door screening of social contacts of known index cases, TB camps in remote areas, and screening for hospital out-patient department (OPD) attendees. Symptomatic individuals were then tested using smear microscopy or GeneXpert MTB/RIF as first diagnostic test. Yield rates were compared for each intervention and diagnostic method. We evaluated additional cases notified from ACF interventions by comparing case notifications of the intervention and control districts using standard TB REACH methodology. The project identified 1092 TB cases. The highest yield was obtained from OPD screening at hospitals (n = 566/1092; 52%). The proportion of positive tests using GeneXpert (5.5%, n = 859/15,637) was significantly higher than from microscopy testing 2% (n = 120/6309). (OR = 1.4; 95%CI = 1.12–1.72; p = 0.0026). The project achieved 29% additionality in case notifications in the intervention districts demonstrating that GeneXpert achieved substantially higher case-finding yields. Therefore, to increase national case notification for TB, Nepal should integrate OPD screening using GeneXpert testing in every district hospital and scale up of community-based ACF of TB patient contacts nationally.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Subjects:	QU Biochemistry > QU 4 General works WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 395 Health in developing countries WF Respiratory System > Tuberculosis > WF 200 Tuberculosis (General) WF Respiratory System > Tuberculosis > WF 220 Diagnosis. Prognosis
Faculty: Department:	Clinical Sciences & International Health > Clinical Sciences Department
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6020050
SWORD Depositor:	JISC Pubrouter
Depositing User:	JISC Pubrouter
Date Deposited:	16 Apr 2021 08:08
Last Modified:	16 Apr 2021 08:08
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/17611

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