Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
BACKGROUND: Enlarging tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment among at-risk populations is a critical component of the End TB Strategy. There is an urgent need to develop suitable latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) testing and treatment tools according to the local TB epidemic and available resources worldwide. METHODS: Based on an open-label randomised controlled trial conducted since 2015 in China among rural residents aged 50-70 years with LTBI, the protective efficacy of a 6-week twice-weekly regimen of rifapentine plus isoniazid was further evaluated in a 5-year follow-up survey. RESULTS: and with pulmonary fibrotic lesions had increased hazard of developing active disease with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 3.64 (95% CI 1.20-11.00) and 5.99 (95% CI 2.20-16.27), respectively. In addition, individuals with higher baseline IFN-γ levels showed an increased risk of TB occurrence (aHR 2.27, 95% CI 1.13-4.58). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest the 6-week twice-weekly regimen of rifapentine plus isoniazid for LTBI treatment might be an optional tool for TB control in the Chinese population.
Xin et al. (Thu,) studied this question.