Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Feasibility, Accuracy, and Effect of Point-of-care Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra Testing in Patients Suspected of Having TB: a Randomised Controlled Trial
Brief Summary: TB is a global health problem and in South Africa rates as the second most important problem in terms of Burden of Disease. There are many reasons for this, among which are diagnostic difficulties, extended treatments, drug resistance and health care provision. This application is concerned with all these drivers and will focus activities on a clinic which provides basic care in a very deprived socio-economic area of greater Cape Town, South Africa.

Patients studied in routine, but demanding environments are our focus as these clinics are representative of many areas where TB (and HIV) are found at high prevalence. If the constraints of working in such areas can be understood and appropriate changes that work made, the investigators believe the outputs and policy changes generated in this study will contribute to future success in other settings.

The investigators wish to study the implementation of the Xpert®MTB/RIF (Xpert) and Xpert Ultra (Ultra) systems in situ using a randomised controlled trial design, as opposed to a remote site (central laboratory), to assess whether time to diagnosis can be improved using point of care (POC). The investigators wish to maximise this opportunity by collecting biological samples from a patient population experiencing a TB epidemic for the evaluation of future TB diagnostics.

Using human DNA, the investigators will attempt to determine reasons for poor or no treatment response. Two possibilities exist for this: a) the M. tuberculosis strain is resistant to the drug in question or b) the patient is highly susceptible to the bacterium. The investigators will determine the exome sequences of study participants with susceptible M. tuberculosis strains who show poor or no response, and compare this with rapid responders. Using 16S rRNA sequencing, the investigators will also observe how the microbiome of TB patients is altered during TB treatment and how this is associated with treatment outcome, as well as after TB treatment.

This project will set the foundation for the implementation of new POC TB diagnostic technologies in clinics in South Africa. The biobanked specimens collected can be rapidly utilised for nascent technologies. Studying the patient microbiome will provide insights into what makes some patients more susceptible to TB and what microbiological changes occur during the course of anti-TB treatment.


Options:
A: Inclusion criteria:

1. Children aged 2 to 59 months
2. Newly hospitalized for severe pneumonia defined using WHO criteria as cough or difficulty in breathing with:

   1. Peripheral oxygen saturation \< 90% or central cyanosis, or
   2. Severe respiratory distress (e.g. grunting, nasal flaring, very severe chest indrawing), or
   3. Signs of pneumonia, defined as cough or difficulty in breathing with fast breathing (tachypnea) and/or chest indrawing, with any of the following danger signs:

      * Inability to breastfeed or drink,
      * Persistent vomiting
      * Lethargy or reduced level of consciousness
      * Convulsions,
      * Stridor in calm child
      * Severe malnutrition
3. Informed consent signed by parent/guardian

Exclusion criteria:

- Ongoing TB treatment or history of intake of anti-TB drugs in the last 6 months
B: Inclusion Criteria:

-

Program Implementation:

Inclusion criteria:

* Any adult or child with TB symptoms (weight loss, chest pain, shortness of breath, fever, cough, hemoptysis, night sweats)
* Ability to produce sputum
* Verbal consent of parent or guardian if \< 18 years old

Operations Research:

Inclusion criteria

* Adults (18 years and older)
* TB symptoms (weight loss, chest pain, shortness of breath, fever, cough, hemoptysis, night sweats)
* Ability to provide a sputum sample
* Willing to provide written informed consent
* Willing to undergo full clinical evaluation
* Willing to undergo a CXR
C: HIV-positive viral load monitoring patients

Inclusion Criteria:

* Informed consent obtained from patient
* Patient is more than 18 years old
* Patient is HIV positive
* Patient is receiving follow-up ART
* Patient is willing to provide blood specimens for study

Exclusion Criteria:

* Informed consent not obtained from patient
* Patient is less than 18 years old
* Patient is HIV negative or has unknown HIV status
* Patient is coming into clinic for first time ART
* Patient is not willing to provide blood specimens for study

TB patients

Inclusion Criteria:

* Informed consent obtained from patient
* Patient is more than 18 years old
* Patient is HIV positive
* Patient is coming into clinic for first ART visit
* Patient is willing to provide sputum and urine (blood is desirable, but not mandatory) specimens for study

Exclusion Criteria:

* Informed consent not obtained from patient
* Patient is less than 18 years old
* Patient is HIV negative or has unknown HIV status
* Patient is not coming into clinic for first time ART
* Patient has been on TB treatment within the last 60 days
* Patient is not willing to provide sputum and urine specimens for study
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* The patient is willing to provide specimens (urine, blood, stool, respiratory tract specimens and swabs)
* The patient is clinically suspected of having TB (Two WHO TB symptoms for HIV negative patients and one WHO TB symptom if HIV positive)

Exclusion Criteria:

* The patient is under the age of 18 years old
* The patient declines consent
* The patient has too few clinical symptoms for TB

Answer: D