Title: Molecular diagnosis of TB and MDR-TB in HIV-coinfection in Nigeria
Description: Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common opportunistic infection in HIV-infected patients and the emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is a growing problem in resource-limited settings (RLS). TB diagnosis in most RLS still depends on smear microscopy for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) while adequate infrastructure for testing drug sensitivity is unavailable. However, molecular diagnostics that detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) DNA and its genetic markers of drug resistance were recently developed. In this thesis I describe the use of a molecular diagnostic, Genotype MTBDRplus, for characterizing DR-TB and patterns of tuberculosis-like infection in two cities in south-west and north-central Nigeria.