Publications
Multidrug- and isoniazid-resistant tuberculosis in three high HIV burden African regions Ghent University
Systematic screening for drug-resistant tuberculosis with Xpert(®) MTB/RIF in a referral hospital in Cambodia Institute of Tropical Medicine University of Antwerp
SETTING: Limited access to drug susceptibility testing (DST) in referral hospitals contributes to delayed detection of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).
OBJECTIVE: To document the impact of identifying rifampicin (RMP) resistance using Xpert(®) MTB/RIF on time to diagnosis and time to treatment, and evaluate its performance under programmatic conditions.
METHODS: Using a prospective observational study, we screened ...
The thin-layer agar method for direct phenotypic detection of multi- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis Institute of Tropical Medicine University of Antwerp
BACKGROUND: Molecular techniques rapidly detect resistance to rifampicin (RMP) and isoniazid (INH), but do not eliminate the need for culture-based drug susceptibility testing (DST) against other drugs. The thin-layer agar (TLA) test, a non-commercial direct DST method, has demonstrated good performance for INH and RMP; however, evidence is still limited, and its applicability for DST of ofloxacin (OFX) and kanamycin (KM) is ...
Sequencing Mycobacteria and Algorithm-determined Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment (SMARTT): a study protocol for a phase IV pragmatic randomized controlled patient management strategy trial Hasselt University University of Antwerp
The TDR Tuberculosis Strain Bank: a resource for basic science, tool development and diagnostic services Institute of Tropical Medicine
Prevalence and drivers of false-positive rifampicin-resistant Xpert MTB/RIF results: a prospective observational study in Rwanda Institute of Tropical Medicine University of Antwerp
Background The Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) assay is used globally to rapidly diagnose tuberculosis and resistance to rifampicin. We investigated the frequency and predictors of false-positive findings of rifampicin resistance with Xpert.
Methods We did a prospective, observational study of individuals who were enrolled in a Rwandan nationwide diagnostic cohort study (DIAMA trial; NCT03303963). We included patients identified to have ...
Effect of compensatory evolution in the emergence and transmission of rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Cape Town, South Africa University of Antwerp
Improving the diagnosis of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis: programmatic aspects, diagnostic challenges, and molecular epidemiology Institute of Tropical Medicine
GeneXpert MTB/RIF Ultra performance to detect uncommon rpoB mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Institute of Tropical Medicine
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the performance of GeneXpert MTB/RIF Ultra to accurately detect rifampicin resistance for less common rpoB mutations that potentially confer phenotypic resistance, we tested 28 such Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures with Xpert Ultra.
RESULTS: They represented 22 different (combinations of) rpoB mutations. Of 28 isolates tested, one was reported by Xpert Ultra as "No rifampicin resistance detected", 8 ...