Jotam G. Pasipanodya

BACKGROUND: Based on a hollow-fiber system model of tuberculosis, we hypothesize that microbiologic failure and acquired drug resistance are primarily driven by low drug concentrations that result from pharmacokinetic variability. METHODS: Clinical and pharmacokinetic data were prospectively collected from 142 tuberculosis patients in Western Cape, South Africa. Compartmental pharmacokinetic parameters of isoniazid, rifampin, and pyrazinamide were identified for each patient. Patients were then followed for up to 2 years. Classification and regression tree analysis was used to identify and rank clinical predictors of poor long-term outcome such as microbiologic failure or death, or relapse. RESULTS: Drug concentrations and pharmacokinetics varied widely between patients. Poor long-term outcomes were encountered in 35 (25%) patients. The 3 top predictors of poor long-term outcome, by rank of importance, were a pyrazinamide 24-hour area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) ≤ 363 mg·h/L, rifampin AUC ≤ 13 mg·h/L, and isoniazid AUC ≤ 52 mg·h/L. Poor outcomes were encountered in 32/78 patients with the AUC of at least 1 drug below the identified threshold vs 3/64 without (odds ratio = 14.14; 95% confidence interval, 4.08-49.08). Low rifampin and isoniazid peak and AUC concentrations preceded all cases of acquired drug resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Low drug AUCs are predictive of clinical outcomes in tuberculosis patients.

BACKGROUND: It is believed that nonadherence is the proximate cause of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-tuberculosis) emergence. The level of nonadherence associated with emergence of MDR-tuberculosis is unknown. Performance of a randomized controlled trial in which some patients are randomized to nonadherence would be unethical; therefore, other study designs should be utilized. METHODS: We performed hollow fiber studies for both bactericidal and sterilizing effect, with inoculum spiked with 0.5% rifampin- and isoniazid-resistant isogenic strains in some experiments. Standard therapy was administered daily for 28-56 days, with extents of nonadherence varying between 0% and 100%. Sizes of drug-resistant populations were compared using analysis of variance. We also explored the effect of pharmacokinetic variability on MDR-tuberculosis emergence using computer-aided clinical trial simulations of 10 000 Cape Town, South Africa, tuberculosis patients. RESULTS: Therapy failure was only encountered at extents of nonadherence ≥60%. Surprisingly, isoniazid- and rifampin-resistant populations did not achieve ≥1% proportion in any experiment and did not achieve a higher proportion with nonadherence. However, clinical trial simulations demonstrated that approximately 1% of tuberculosis patients with perfect adherence would still develop MDR-tuberculosis due to pharmacokinetic variability alone. CONCLUSIONS: These data, based on a preclinical model, demonstrate that nonadherence alone is not a sufficient condition for MDR-tuberculosis emergence.

International Post-Tuberculosis Symposium (Stellenbosch, South Africa) was held to discuss priorities and gaps in addressing this issue. A barrier to progress has been the varied terminology and nomenclature, so the Delphi process was used to achieve consensus on definitions. Lack of sufficient evidence hampered definitive recommendations in most domains, including prevention and treatment of post-TB lung disease (PTLD), but the discussions clarified the research needed. A consensus was reached on a toolkit for future PTLD measurement and on PTLD patterns to be considered. The importance of extra-pulmonary consequences and progressive impairment throughout the life-course was identified, including TB recurrence and increased mortality. Patient advocates emphasised the need to address the psychological and social impacts post TB and called for clinical guidance. More generally, there is an urgent need for increased awareness and research into post-TB complications.

BACKGROUND: Using hollow-fiber tuberculosis studies, we recently demonstrated that nonadherence is not a significant factor for ADR and that therapy failure only occurs after a large proportion of doses are missed. Computer-aided clinical trial simulations have suggested that isoniazid and rifampin pharmacokinetic variability best explained poor outcomes. We were interested in determining whether isoniazid pharmacokinetic variability was associated with either microbiological failure or ADR in the clinic. METHODS: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. Prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trials that reported isoniazid acetylation status and microbiological outcomes were selected. The main effects examined were microbiological sputum conversion, ADR, and relapse. Effect size was expressed as pooled risk ratios (RRs) comparing rapid with slow acetylators. RESULTS: Thirteen randomized studies with 1631 rapid acetylators and 1751 slow acetylators met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Rapid acetylators were more likely than slow acetylators to have microbiological failure (RR, 2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-2.7), ADR (RR, 2.0; CI, 1.1-3.4), and relapse (RR, 1.3; CI, .9-2.0). Higher failure rates were encountered even in drug regimens comprising >3 antibiotics. No publication bias or small-study effects were observed for the outcomes evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacokinetic variability to a single drug in the regimen is significantly associated with failure of therapy and ADR in patients. This suggests that individualized dosing for tuberculosis may be more effective than standardized dosing, which is prescribed in directly observed therapy programs.