Update on tuberculosis/HIV coinfections: across the spectrum from latent infection through drug-susceptible and drug-resistant disease.

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of death among people with HIV, and annual risk of progression from latent TB infection to active disease in this population is 10%. Diagnostic tests for latent and active TB remain suboptimal for people with HIV who have a CD4+ count below 200 cells/μL, and there is an urgent need for assays that predict progression from latent to active disease, monitor treatment response, and test for cure after latent and active TB treatment. Traditional treatment duration for latent infection and active TB disease has been onerous for patients; however, shorter-course regimens are increasingly available across the spectrum of TB, including for drug-resistant TB. Simultaneous treatment of HIV and TB is complicated by drug-drug interactions, although trials are ongoing to better understand the magnitude of these interactions and guide clinicians in how to use short-course regimens, particularly for people with HIV.