Forum Recommendations: Tuberculosis
Posted by Daniela Pereira-Lengkeek on 23 November 2009 at 17:51
After reviewing the current state of clinical research on Tuberculosis, the following recommendations for future research were made by the researchers that participated in the scientific sessions:
The following areas still need more research work to be supported in TB:
- Point-of-care diagnostics (RAPID assays) including sophistication of microscopy-based approaches
- Active case detection
- Diagnostic tests that will differentiate between latent and active TB
- Ways of reducing diagnostic delay
– Reduce burden of disease
- Strategies to tackle co-infection with HIV at all levels:
– Prophylaxis, vaccines, diagnostics and treatment
- Shortening the length of treatment
– Reduce public health burden
– Reduce drug resistance
– Improve compliance
- Bioinformatics approaches
- Modification of BCG vaccine and investigation of other potential TB vaccines
- Detection and treatment in children
- Analysis of development of resistance of for the newer drugs gatifloxacin (GAT) and moxifloxacin (MXF)
- Ways to further address treatment of extra-pulmonary TB
- Look into novel drug delivery system to improve bioavailability e.g. nanotechnology
- Operational research:
– How can we optimise the use of that we already have?
– There is need to urgently compare inpatient with outpatient care models including infection control, resistance issues and cost effectiveness.
Filed Under: Monday, Tuberculosis, Tuesday, Wednesday
