Eastern Europe is facing an epidemic of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). 1,2 Belarus is one of the 27 high MDR-TB burden countries designated by the World Health Organization (WHO). A countrywide survey conducted in 2011 in Belarus revealed a prevalence of MDR-TB of 32% among new and 76% among previously treated TB cases, the highest documented rates worldwide. 3,4 However, these levels were found among sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB (SP-PTB) patients. The levels of MDR-TB among smear-negative pulmonary TB (SN-PTB) patients are unknown, and this group accounts for 63% of all notified new pulmonary TB cases in Belarus. 1 Countries in the WHO European region endorsed the 'Consolidated Action Plan, 2011Plan, -2015, with the aim of detecting 85% of estimated MDR-TB cases and successfully treating at least 75% of these by 2015. 5 Achieving these objectives will not be possible without appropriate management of MDR-TB among SN-PTB.In Belarus, all TB patients have universal access to culture and drug susceptibility testing (CDST). In 2012, at the start of the countrywide roll-out of rapid molecular diagnostics (such as Xpert® MTB/RIF [Cepheid, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA, USA] and line probe assays), national policy prioritised their use for smear-positive TB patients, while SN-PTB patients were investigated using conventional methods, often delaying the diagnosis of MDR-TB by 2-4 months. While awaiting the results, SN-PTB patients were initiated on a first-line drug regimen, which was obviously inadequate if they harboured MDR-TB bacilli. With the increasing availability of rapid molecular diagnostics, the country is currently aiming at universal coverage of all presumptive TB cases with molecular testing. Despite the national policy, SN-PTB patients do not receive the same priority as smear-positive TB patients, as they are traditionally perceived to be less infectious and clinically less severe. Currently, there is no published information from Belarus or similar settings in Eastern Europe on the proportion of SN-PTB patients with MDR-TB. Such information provides the evidence required to decide on and justify the use of rapid molecular diagnostics for all SN-PTB patients.In this countrywide audit in Belarus, we therefore aimed to assess the proportion of MDR-TB among SN-PTB patients registered in 2012 and the associated demographic and clinical factors.
METHODS
Study designThis was a retrospective cohort study using data routinely recorded in the national electronic TB register.
SettingBelarus has a population of 9.5 million, with 72% living in urban areas. There are six administrative regions (Brest, Gomel, Grodno, Mogilev, Minsk and Vitebsk) and 121 districts. The Ministry of Health (MOH) oversees the implementation of TB control activities in the country. The Republican Scientific and Practical Centre for Pulmonology and Tuberculosis (RSPCPT) in Minsk is the central National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) unit responsible for the development and implementation of TB policies. The Ministry of the Interior has...