Abstract

ALIYU, Gambo et al. Diagnostic system strengthening for drug resistant tuberculosis in Nigeria: impact and challenges. Afr. J. Lab. Med. [online]. 2017, vol.6, n.2, pp.1-6. ISSN 2225-2010.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ajlm.v6i2.502.

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis and the threat of extensively-drug-resistant tuberculosis in HIV hotspots have made the detection and treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the sub-Saharan Africa setting a global public health priority. OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine the impact and challenges of tuberculosis diagnostic capacity development for the detection of drug-resistant tuberculosis and bio-surveillance using a modular biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory in Nigeria. METHOD: In 2010, the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programme, through the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, deployed a modular, BSL-3 laboratory to support the national tuberculosis programme in drug-resistant tuberculosis detection and bio-surveillance for effective tuberculosis prevention and contro.l RESULTS: From 2010 until present, sputum samples from 11 606 suspected cases in 33 states were screened for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Of those, 1500 (12.9%) had mono-resistant tuberculosis strains, and 459 (4.0%) cases had multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Over the last four years, 133 scientists were trained in a train-the-trainer programme on advanced tuberculosis culture, drug susceptibility testing, line-probe assays and Xpert^® MTB/RIF, in addition to safety operations for biosafety facilities. Power instability, running cost and seasonal dust are notable challenges to optimal performance and scale up. CONCLUSION: Movable BSL-3 containment laboratories can be deployed to improve diagnostic capacity for drug-resistant tuberculosis and bio-surveillance in settings with limited resources.

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