Publications
Targeted next-generation sequencing of sputum for diagnosis of drug-resistant TB; results of a national survey in Democratic Republic of the Congo Institute of Tropical Medicine
The surveillance of drug resistance among tuberculosis (TB) patients is central to preventing the spread of antimicrobial resistance. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a country with a high burden of TB and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), but there are no nationally representative data on drug resistance. In 2016-2017, a national survey of TB patients was conducted in 108 ...
Comparison of predictive models for hepatitis C co-infection among HIV patients in Cambodia Institute of Tropical Medicine
BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major global health problem. WHO guidelines recommend screening all people living with HIV for hepatitis C. Considering the limited resources for health in low and middle income countries, targeted HCV screening is potentially a more feasible screening strategy for many HIV cohorts. Hence there is an interest in developing clinician-friendly tools for selecting subgroups of HIV patients for ...
Better programmatic outcome with the shorter regimen for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Guinea: a retrospective cohort stud Institute of Tropical Medicine
SETTING: Since August 2016, after the Ebola outbreak, the Guinean National Tuberculosis Programme and Damien Foundation implemented the shorter treatment regimen (STR) for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in the three MDR-TB sites of Conakry. Previously, the longer regimen was used to treat MDR-TB.
OBJECTIVES: In a post-Ebola context, with a weakened health system, we describe the MDR-TB treatment uptake, patients ...
Comparative genomics shows differences in the electron transport and carbon metabolic pathways of Mycobacterium africanum relative to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and suggests an adaptation to low oxygen tension Institute of Tropical Medicine
The geographically restricted Mycobacterium africanum lineages (MAF) are primarily found in West Africa, where they account for a significant proportion of tuberculosis. Despite this phenomenon, little is known about the co-evolution of these ancient lineages with West Africans. MAF and M. tuberculosis sensu stricto lineages (MTB) differ in their clinical, in vitro and in vivo characteristics for reasons not fully understood. Therefore, we ...
Injectables' key role in rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis shorter treatment regimen outcomes Institute of Tropical Medicine
Background Since a meta-analysis showed little or no effect of second-line injectables on treatment success, and using injectables may induce ototoxicity, injectable-free rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) treatment regimens are recommended. However, acquired resistance preventing activity was overlooked. No previous study assessed the effect of shortening the duration of kanamycin administration to 2 months during the intensive phase ...
Challenges to differentiate hepatitis C genotype 1 and 6: results from a field study in Cambodia Institute of Tropical Medicine
INTRODUCTION: We aim to report on results and challenges of different methods used for hepatitis C (HCV) genotyping in a Cambodian HCV/HIV coinfection project.
METHODS: Samples of 106 patients were available. HCV genotyping was initially (63 samples) done by the LightPower Taqman real-time PCR method (Viet A Corp.) and quality controlled using the Versant 2.0 line probe assay (Siemens Healthcare). Next, following interim quality control ...
Tuberculosis treatment: one-shot approach or cascade of regimens Institute of Tropical Medicine
High-dose first-line treatment regimen for recurrent rifampicin-susceptible tuberculosis Institute of Tropical Medicine
Patient-mix, programmatic characteristics, retention and predictors of attrition among patients starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) before and after the implementation of HIV "Treat All" in Zimbabwe Institute of Tropical Medicine
BACKGROUND: Since the scale-up of the HIV "Treat All" recommendation, evidence on its real-world effect on predictors of attrition (either death or lost to follow-up) is lacking. We conducted a retrospective study using Zimbabwe ART program data to assess the association between "Treat All" and, patient-mix, programmatic characteristics, retention and predictors of attrition.
METHODS: We used patient-level data from the electronic ...