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:

* 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
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* Men and women of ≥18 years of age
* Presence of cough, fever, night sweats or weight loss
* Ability and willingness to give written informed consent
* Documentation of positive HIV status (test conducted at GHESKIO)
* Acceptance of HIV diagnosis, defined as affirmative responses to two questions: "I believe that HIV and AIDS exist" and "I believe that the results of my HIV test show that I am infected".

Exclusion Criteria:

* Any use of ART in the past
* Treatment for TB in the year prior to screening visit
* Pregnancy or breastfeeding at the screening visit
* Active drug, alcohol use, or mental condition that would interfere with the ability to adhere to study requirements, in the opinion of the study physician
* Score of \<3 for any of the 7 questions on the ART readiness survey
* Planning to transfer care to another clinic during the study period
* Symptoms consistent with WHO stage 4 neurologic disease (cryptococcal meningitis, TB meningitis; central nervous system toxoplasmosis; HIV encephalopathy; progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy)
* Severe illness, classified as one of the WHO "danger signs" of temperature \>39 degrees Celsius, pulse \>120 beats/minutes, respiratory rate \>30, or inability to walk unaided.
C: Inclusion Criteria:

Case Detection Group:

* Age 18 years or above
* Clinical suspicion of pulmonary TB (including cough ≥2 week and at least 1 other symptom typical of TB);
* Willingness to provide 3-4 sputum specimens at enrolment;
* Willingness to have a trial follow-up visit approximately 2 months after enrolment;
* Provision of informed consent.

Drug Resistant TB Group:

In addition to the criteria of the Case Detection Group, participants should also meet the following conditions:

* Non-converting pulmonary TB cases (category I and category II failures)

Exclusion Criteria:

Case Detection Group:

* Receipt of any dose of TB treatment within 60 days prior to enrolment (even if within last two days only).

Drug Resistant TB Group:

* Receipt of any dose of MDR-TB treatment within 60 days prior to enrolment (even if within last two days only).
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients suspected of having pulmonary TB
* Cough ≥ 2 weeks
* At least one other TB clinical symptom

  * Fever
  * Unexplained weight loss
  * Loss of appetite
  * Hemoptysis
  * Shortness of breath
  * Chest pain
  * Night sweats
  * Fatigue
* Suggestive TB on chest x-ray based on pulmonologist or internist consultant of pulmonology opinion
* Age ≥ 18 years' old
* Willing to be treated or evaluated at study site
* Willing to have specimens stored for use in future studies
* Patient denies having TB treatment for more than 7 days in the last 1 month (30 days).

Exclusion Criteria:

Pregnancy or any serious condition includes, but not limited to, liver disease, chronic kidney disease, and psychiatric illness that might interfere with study compliance (based on the clinician judgment).

Answer: A