UCSF-FIND Uganda Project

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Investigator: Laurence Huang, MD
Sponsor: Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics

Location(s): Uganda

Description

Despite the enormous global burden of TB, approaches to TB diagnosis still rely on traditional methods that have major limitations. The disproportionate amount of smear -negative disease in sub-Saharan Africa , which shoulders two -thirds of the global burden of HIV/AIDS, has greatly complicated TB case detection and disease control.
Multidrug -resistant (MDR) TB, defined as resistance to both isoniazid and rifampicin, two of the most important “first- line” anti-TB drugs, is a rapidly growing problem, especially in Eastern Europe and countries of the former Soviet Union. Even more alarming is the recently documented phenomenon of XDR (or extensive ly drug- resistant) TB, defined not only as resistance to isoniazid and rifampicin but also to one second line injectable agent and a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. XDR TB is often not curable with available drugs
This demonstration project is to assess the implementation of Xpert™ POC Dx in decentralized laboratories in low and moderate income settings. The project aims at a) confirming the Xpert™ POC Dx performance in decentralized laboratories and b) demonstrating the feasibility, impact and cost- efficiency of using POC Dx at lower levels of the health system for enhanced detection of smear - negative TB and MDR TB. The data will be reported to national public health authorities and WHO in order to inform policy decision.