Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34962960›Full record

ArticlePloS one2021

Diagnosis of tuberculosis among COVID-19 suspected cases in Ghana.

Theophilus Afum, Prince Asare, Adwoa Asante-Poku, Isaac Darko-Otchere, Portia Abena Morgan, Edmund Bedeley, Diana Asema Asandem, Abdul Basit Musah, Ishaque Mintah Siam, Phillip Tetteh and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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  7. Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria Health Services in sub-Saharan Africa - A Situation Analysis of the Disruptions and Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Theophilus AfumNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.ORCID 0000-0001-6342-1601
Prince AsareNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Adwoa Asante-PokuNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Isaac Darko-OtchereNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.ORCID 0000-0001-8982-9488
Portia Abena MorganNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Edmund BedeleyNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Diana Asema AsandemNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Abdul Basit MusahNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Ishaque Mintah SiamNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Phillip TettehNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Yaw Adusi-PokuNational Tuberculosis Control Programme, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.
Rita Frimpong-MansoNational Tuberculosis Control Programme, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.
Joseph Humphrey Kofi BonneyNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
William AmpofoNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Dorothy Yeboah-ManuNoguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 pandemics are both diseases of public health threat globally. Both diseases are caused by pathogens that infect mainly the respiratory system, and are involved in airborne transmission; they also share some clinical signs and symptoms. We, therefore, took advantage of collected sputum samples at the early stage of COVID-19 outbreak in Ghana to conduct differential diagnoses of long-standing endemic respiratory illness, particularly tuberculosis. METHODOLOGY: Sputum samples collected through the enhanced national surveys from suspected COVID-19 patients and contact tracing cases were analyzed for TB. The sputum samples were processed using Cepheid's GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay in pools of 4 samples to determine the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Positive pools were then decoupled and analyzed individually. Details of positive TB samples were forwarded to the NTP for appropriate case management.

resultsSeven-hundred and seventy-four sputum samples were analyzed for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in both suspected COVID-19 cases (679/774, 87.7%) and their contacts (95/774, 12.3%). A total of 111 (14.3%) were diagnosed with SARS CoV-2 infection and six (0.8%) out of the 774 individuals tested positive for pulmonary tuberculosis: five (83.3%) males and one female (16.7%). Drug susceptibility analysis identified 1 (16.7%) rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis case. Out of the six TB positive cases, 2 (33.3%) tested positive for COVID-19 indicating a coinfection. Stratifying by demography, three out of the six (50%) were from the Ayawaso West District. All positive cases received appropriate treatment at the respective sub-district according to the national guidelines.

conclusionOur findings highlight the need for differential diagnosis among COVID-19 suspected cases and regular active TB surveillance in TB endemic settings.

Indexed as

Antibiotics, AntitubercularCoinfectionCOVID-19Diagnosis, DifferentialDrug Resistance, BacterialFemaleGhanaHumansMaleMicrobial Sensitivity TestsMycobacterium tuberculosisPandemicsRifampinSARS-CoV-2SputumTuberculosis, PulmonaryAntibiotics, AntitubercularRifampin

Identifiers

PMID34962960
PMCPMC8714104

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.