Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection
Authors: Dominik Zenner, Helen R. Stagg, Ross J. Harris, Ibrahim Abubakar
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Letters3 March 2015Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis InfectionDominik Zenner, MD, Helen R. Stagg, PhD, Ross J. Harris, MSc, and Ibrahim Abubakar, MBBS, PhDDominik Zenner, MDFrom University College London and Public Health England, University College London, and Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this author, Helen R. Stagg, PhDFrom University College London and Public Health England, University College London, and Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this author, Ross J. Harris, MScFrom University College London and Public Health England, University College London, and Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this author, and Ibrahim Abubakar, MBBS, PhDFrom University College London and Public Health England, University College London, and Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5058-3 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:Dr. Arasaratnam raised several issues about our systematic review, which was limited by the availability and quality of underlying articles because the literature for most latent tuberculosis infection regimens is relatively sparse. After rigorously assessing study quality, we tested for associations between quality indicators and outcomes but did not find particularly strong evidence for such associations; thus, this influence was likely minimal. Given the small number and frequently poor or unassessable quality of trials, further exclusion of studies would have limited, rather than provided assurance about, the comparison between rifamycins and isoniazid.Network meta-analyses pose a risk that ...References1. A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial of three antituberculosis chemoprophylaxis regimens in patients with silicosis in Hong Kong Hong Kong Chest Service/Tuberculosis Research Centre, Madras/British Medical Research Council. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1992;145:36-41. [PMID: 1731596] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Sharma SK, Sharma A, Kadhiravan T, Tharyan P. Rifamycins (rifampicin, rifabutin and rifapentine) compared to isoniazid for preventing tuberculosis in HIV-negative people at risk of active TB. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;7:CD007545. [PMID: 23828580] doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007545.pub2 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Comstock GW. How much isoniazid is needed for prevention of tuberculosis among immunocompetent adults? Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 1999;3:847-50. [PMID: 10524579] MedlineGoogle Scholar4. World Health Organization. Guidelines on the Management of Latent Tuberculosis Infection. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014. Accessed at www.who.int/tb/publications/ltbi_document_page/en/ on 24 January 2015. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University College London and Public Health England, University College London, and Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M14-1019. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoTreatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection Helen R. Stagg , Dominik Zenner , Ross J. Harris , Laura Muñoz , Marc C. Lipman , and Ibrahim Abubakar Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection Helen R. Stagg , Dominik Zenner , Ross J. Harris , Laura Muñoz , Marc C. Lipman , and Ibrahim Abubakar Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection Reuben Arasaratnam Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection Gauranga C. Dhar Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection Reuben Arasaratnam Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection Gauranga C. Dhar Metrics Cited byValidation of Differentially Expressed Immune Biomarkers in Latent and Active Tuberculosis by Real-Time PCR 3 March 2015Volume 162, Issue 5Page: 394-395KeywordsDisclosureIsoniazidNetwork analysisSafetySafety studiesSystematic reviewsTuberculosis ePublished: 3 March 2015 Issue Published: 3 March 2015 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2015 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...