Tackling TB

What are some of the immunologic mechanisms that alter our ability to fight off a mycobacterium tuberculosis infection—and how does this affect our immunocompromised patients? To answer this question, Dr. Charles Turck meets with Dr. Carlos Acuña-Villaorduña from the Boston University School of Medicine to discuss new insights on TB infection and immunosuppression.

Where are we on the path to eliminating tuberculosis? To understand this, Dr. Pranay Sinha, a postdoctoral researcher at Boston Medical Center, discusses what we need to know and shares what’s on the horizon for TB elimination.

How prevalent is tuberculosis in long-term care facilities? To better understand this, Dr. Charles Turck meets with Dr. Jeffrey Cirillo to examine screening and testing strategies to better monitor TB risk, specifically for high-risk patient populations.

What are some ways we can better care for our patients prior to starting biologic therapy? Dr. Charles Turck joins Dr. Laila Woc-Colburn from the Emory University School of Medicine to discuss ways to improve safety for patients with tuberculosis.

Dr. Paul Doghramji joins Dr. Jeffrey Starke, an Infection Control Officer at Texas Children’s Hospital and a Professor of Pediatric Infectious Disease Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, to discuss the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on testing for tuberculosis.

With the World Health Organization’s goal to eliminate tuberculosis by 2030 quickly approaching, what can we be doing now to help us meet that goal? Joining Dr. Paul Doghramji to discuss three key factors and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted this global goal is Dr. Sonia Qasba, an infectious disease specialist at the Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.

It’s critical that we understand whether or not a patient with an immune-mediated inflammatory disease has latent tuberculosis (TB) before starting treatment with inhibitory therapies as this can impact TB reactivation frequencies and the risk of complications. Dr. Jeffrey Cirillo from the Texas A&M College of Medicine explains how we can test for latent TB.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed clinical laboratories to find new strategies to keep at-risk patients protected. When it comes to tuberculosis testing, what are some things laboratories are doing to ensure patient safety? Dr. Marie-Claire Rowlinson details some of these safety measures and discusses the pandemic’s impact on laboratory testing.

While annual tuberculosis rates have steadily declined for the general population, healthcare professionals have seen a rise in infection rates. What can we do to keep ourselves and our peers safe? Drs. Regina McDade and Marie-Claire Rowlinson discuss the updated guidelines for tuberculosis screening, or TB screening, among healthcare professionals.

What’s it like to care for patients with tuberculosis (TB)? Here to share stories and reflections from her experience is Dr. Masae Kawamura, practicing internist in San Francisco.