Active and latent tuberculosis among HIV‐positive injecting drug users in Indonesia

Abstract

Introduction: Injecting drug use (IDU) is associated with tuberculosis but few data are available from low-income settings. We examined IDU in relation to active and latent tuberculosis (LTBI) among HIV-positive individuals in Indonesia, which has a high burden of tuberculosis and a rapidly growing HIV epidemic strongly driven by IDU. Methods: Active tuberculosis was measured prospectively among 1900 consecutive antiretroviral treatment (ART)-naïve adult patients entering care in a clinic in West Java. Prevalence of LTBI was determined cross-sectionally in a subset of 518 ART-experienced patients using an interferon-gamma release assay. Results: Patients with a history of IDU (53.1%) more often reported a history of tuberculosis treatment (34.8% vs. 21.9%, pConclusions: HIV-positive individuals with a history of IDU in Indonesia have more active tuberculosis, with similar rates of LTBI. Within the HIV clinic, LTBI screening and isoniazid preventive therapy may be prioritized to patients with a history of IDU. Keywords: cohort studies; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; human immunodeficiency virus; substance abuse; intravenous; latent tuberculosis infection. (Published: 16 February 2015) Citation: Meijerink H et al. Journal of the International AIDS Society 2015, 18:19317 http://www.jiasociety.org/index.php/jias/article/view/19317 | http://dx.doi.org/10.7448/IAS.18.1.19317