Rapid molecular testing or chest X-ray or tuberculin skin testing for household contact assessment of tuberculosis infection: A cluster-randomized trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The World Health Organization recommends evaluation of all household contacts (HHC) of index tuberculosis (TB) patients for TB disease (TBD) and TB infection (TBI). Tests to identify TBI and TBD are preferred but can be skipped in persons living with HIV and children <5 years. There is equipoise on the need for these tests in other HHC.

Methods

We conducted a superiority, open label cluster-randomized trial in Benin and Brazil to compare three strategies to evaluate HHC aged 5-50 of persons newly diagnosed with drug susceptible pulmonary TBD: Standard: tuberculin skin testing (TST) for TBI and if positive, chest X-ray (CXR) to rule out TBD; rapid molecular test (RMT): same as Standard, except CXR replaced by an RMT; and No-TST: CXR for all but no TST. Randomizatio

SUBMITTER: Adjobimey M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12316388 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature