Diagnosis of HIV-Associated tuberculosis

Abstract

Of the estimated 1.2 million tuberculosis (TB) cases among people living with HIV (PLHIV), less than half are diagnosed and reported to health authorities. This is a key reason why TB remains the leading cause of death among PLHIV. Systematic screening approaches coupled with improved diagnostics are critical to reducing the gap and have begun to emerge over recent years. This chapter reviews current approaches to screening for and diagnosing HIV-associated TB, including drug-resistant TB, in adults. The chapter is organized into three parts: Part I provides an overview of World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended tools to facilitate TB screening and diagnosis among PLHIV, Part II provides a selective overview of tools and tests currently in the later stages of the TB diagnostic pipeline and Part III provides a clinically-oriented, step-wise approach for diagnosing TB in PLHIV in resource-limited settings.