Shows
The TBPodUnderstanding TBM: Dr Joseph Donovan on Global Challenges, Trials & Critical-Care NeedsDr Joseph Donovan, clinical researcher at OUCRU Vietnam and Associate Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, joins Dr Angus Lane, medical registrar to discuss the global burden and diagnostic challenges of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). He outlines key findings from major trials in Vietnam and Indonesia, including the ACT HIV trial of adjunctive dexamethasone, discusses global practice guidelines, and highlights existing and emerging evidence on antiretroviral timing, aspirin, and rifampicin. Dr Donovan also reflects on the severe neurological complications of TBM and the need for evidence-based critical-care strategies worldwide.
2025-12-2037 minThe TBPodAdvancing TB Research: Dr Jodie Schildkraut & Dr Van Le Hong from Unite4TBCatherine Berry, ACTnet Steering Committee member and ID physician at John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, was joined by Dr Jodie Schildkraut and Dr Van Le Hong, key researchers in the global Unite4TB consortium, which is accelerating the development of new TB treatments.Dr Schildkraut, based at Radboud University Medical Center, leads the Phase 2B/C clinical trials work package and coordinates across multiple TB consortia. Dr Van Le Hong, a pulmonologist and clinical research fellow at OUCRU Vietnam, heads the multi-arm, multi-stage (MAMS) trial platform in Ho Chi Minh City.Together, they explore Unite4TB’s...
2025-11-1837 minThe TBPodPost-TB Sequelae: Life and Death After TB Treatment - In Discussion with Prof. Nicolas MenziesAssociate Professor Nicolas Alan Menzies, from the School of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, joins Dr Andrew Burke to discuss his research on the contribution of post-TB sequelae to life-years and quality-adjusted life-years lost due to TB disease in the United States. Drawing on data from both U.S. and Brazilian cohorts, he explores how a significant portion of TB’s health burden, including elevated mortality and reduced quality of life, emerges after treatment completion with apparent cure. Together, they discuss the impact of delayed diagnosis, age-related ri...
2025-06-0225 minThe TBPodCATAPuLT - Can we manage latent TB infection in primary care?Dr Matthew Burman is a TB clinician and researcher from East London, Queen Mary University and the Blizzard Institute. Today he presents the data from the CATAPULT trial which randomised patients to either have their latent TB infection managed by a TB clinic in secondary care, or be managed in primary care by their GP in concert with a community pharmacist. This amazing trial re-evaluates how we think about TB preventative therapy and looks at new ways of approaching the burden of latent TB infection.REFERENCESBurman, M., et al. "...
2025-02-2830 minThe TBPodUnlocking GeneXpert: A Deep Dive with Dr Stijn DeborggraeveDr. Stijn Deborggraeve is the Diagnostics Advisor Infectious Diseases at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Access Campaign.In this episode we discussed GeneXpert technology including pricing, logistics, and future developments.
2025-02-0125 minThe TBPodFighting Childhood Tuberculosis: Expert Advice from Dr Graeme HoddinottDr Graeme Hoddinott is a Senior Lecturer in Global Health at the University of Sydney. He is also an Extraordinary Associate Professor in paediatrics at Stellenbosch University. Much of his research experience is on tuberculosis, especially among children, adolescents, and their families. In this episode, we explore ground-breaking research on the preferences of children and adolescents in tuberculosis (TB) treatment and management, revealing surprising insights that could lead to better patient outcomes. We also discuss the hidden long-term effects of TB treatment in younger populations and highlight areas where further research is essential.
2025-01-0134 minThe TBPodUnderstanding the Patient Tuberculosis Experience with Sarah BernaysAssociate Professor Sarah Bernays, co-director of the Masters of Global Health program at the University of Sydney, leads a social science research program focused on community engagement in infectious disease prevention, treatment, and care. Her work emphasizes understanding how individuals, households, and communities respond to health adversity, risk, and vulnerability while fostering resilience and hope. In this episode, we explored the perspectives of tuberculosis patients, the challenges they face in accessing and receiving clinical care, and methods to identify what truly matters to them. We also examined strategies for clinicians and researchers to enhance their...
2024-12-0132 minThe TBPodEradication in Sight? Overcoming Tuberculosis with Guy MarksProfessor Guy Marks AO FAHMS is a distinguished respiratory and public health physician and environmental epidemiologist. Currently serving as the President and interim Executive Director of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), he has led the Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology group at the Woolcock Institute since 1997. His research primarily focuses on lung health, with particular emphasis on airway diseases, air pollution, and tuberculosis. Additionally, he is dedicated to capacity building in lung health research. In this episode, we delve into the essential factors for TB elimination, emphasizing t...
2024-11-0131 minThe TBPodTuberculosis Trailblazers: Nurses Leading the Fight with Amanda ChristensenAmanda Christensen joins us in this month's edition to discuss the critical impact of nurses in the fight against tuberculosis. Amanda is the Executive Director at the Australian Respiratory Council and is deeply experienced in the field of tuberculosis care.We explored the ideal attributes of TB nurses, offering perspectives on tuberculosis both within Australia and across the Pacific. We discussed the importance of patient advocacy, examined the structure and management of TB programs within the Australian healthcare system, and highlighted the critical role TB nurses play in clinical and research settings. We also delved...
2024-09-3024 minThe TBPodAdvancing TB Care: The Statistical Design of Clinical Trials with Patrick PhillipsToday we had the pleasure of being joined by Associate Professor Patrick Phillips from the University of California, who is the Co-Director of the UC Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center, Clinical & Population Health Science Core. Patrick has a wealth of statistical experience and specialises in the design, implementation, and optimisation of clinical trials for new treatments for drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis.Join us as we explore the rapidly evolving field of TB clinical trials and drug development. Discover the latest advancements in surrogate selection, novel Bayesian phase II designs, and the future of adaptive trial designs. We also...
2024-09-0136 minThe TBPodThe Trauma of TB Stigma - Lived Experiences with Handaa Enkh AmgalanHandaa Enkh Amgalan is an author, TB advocate and director of QA at the International Rescue Committee in Germany who has not only recently spoken at the UN TB High Level Meeting but also written an incredible memoir of her experience being diagnosed with severe pulmonary tuberculosis as a teenager growing up in Mongolia. Handaa gives an incredible insight into what it means to be diagnosed with such a stigmatising disease as a young woman; how it affect her, her family, and her dreams. This amazing story provides us insights into the devastating effects of stigma and sheds light...
2024-07-3129 minThe TBPodFrontiers in Clinical Tuberculosis Microbiology - New TBI Diagnostics with Prof MartineauProfessor Adrian Martineau from the Queen Mary University London talks to us about the limitations of current latent TB infection diagnosis and how we can do better. his research into whether we can use fragments of TB DNA found in bone marrow cells to better predict who should be treated with Tuberculosis Preventative Treatment.REFERENCESMartineau, Adrian R., et al. "Towards a molecular microbial blood test for tuberculosis infection." International Journal of Infectious Diseases (2024): 106988.Belay, Mulugeta, et al. "Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA in CD34-positive peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a...
2024-06-3030 minThe TBPodMTBVAC - one of the most promising new TB Vaccines with Dr Carlos Martín MontañésToday we discuss the MTBVAC with Dr Montañés. MTBVAC is an attenuated vaccine from a human mycobacterial isolate which has just progressed to a phase 3 trial and shown very promising results in the phase 2 study. Dr Montañés has been involved in this project for over a decade and has an incredible insight into the development and promise of this vaccine for global TB epidemiology.ReferencesMartín, Carlos, et al. "MTBVAC, a live TB vaccine poised to initiate efficacy trials 100 years after BCG." Vaccine 39.50 (2021): 7277-7285.Achkar, Jacqueline M. "Prospects and chall...
2024-05-3142 minThe TBPodTB Contact Tracing and Building Research in TB with Prof Philip HillProf Greg Fox speaks with Prof Philip Hill about TB household contact tracing and building research capacity in TB. Prof Hill is an ID specialist and public health physician who did his PhD in TB Epidemiology. He is the current McAuley Chair in International Health as well as being Founding Direction & Co-Director of the Centre for International Health at the University of Otago.References1) Martinez, Leonardo, et al. "The risk of tuberculosis in children after close exposure: a systematic review and individual-participant meta-analysis." The Lancet 395.10228 (2020): 973-984.2) Hill, Philip C., et al. "Incidence of...
2024-04-3030 minThe TBPodEND-TB Trial with Dr GuglielmettiToday we speak with Dr Guglielmetti about the END-TB trial which looks at new all oral regimens for MDR-TB.REFERENCES1) https://endtb.org/2) Nyang’wa, Bern-Thomas, et al. "A 24-week, all-oral regimen for rifampin-resistant tuberculosis." New England Journal of Medicine 387.25 (2022): 2331-2343.3) Conradie, Francesca, et al. "Treatment of highly drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis." New England Journal of Medicine 382.10 (2020): 893-902.4) Diacon, Andreas H., et al. "Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and culture conversion with bedaquiline." New England Journal of Medicine 371.8 (2014): 723-732.5) Gler, Maria Tarcela, et al. "Delamanid for multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis." New England Journal of Medicine 366.23 (2012): 2151-2160.6) Ah...
2024-04-0146 minThe TBPodTuberculosis Diagnostics & Emerging Technologies with Dr Morten RuhwaldToday we delve into the world of TB diagnostics and the future of leveraged TB technologies with Dr Morten Ruhwald. Dr Ruhwald is a the head of the TB programme over at FIND, an institution dedicated to accelerating equitable access to reliable diagnosis around the world. Dr Ruhwald elaborates on the current state of TB diagnostics, new clinical strategies, usability factors, and future TB perspectives.https://www.finddx.org/what-we-do/programmes/tuberculosis/https://www.actnet.org.au/
2024-02-2924 minThe TBPodTuberculosis Nursing Challenges in Australia's Northern Territory with Dr Chris LowbridgeToday we speak with Dr Chris Lowbridge about the amazing work of the TB teams in the Northern Territory. Chris talks about the challenges of controlling tuberculosis across 1.42 million square kilometres, more than 100 local languages, and some very isolated communities.ReferencesMeumann, Ella M., et al. "Tuberculosis in Australia's tropical north: a population-based genomic epidemiological study." The Lancet Regional Health–Western Pacific 15 (2021).Vigneswaran, Nilanthy, et al. "Factors leading to diagnostic delay in tuberculosis in the tropical north of Australia." Internal Medicine Journal (2023).Coorey, N. J., et al. "Risk factors for TB in Au...
2024-01-3136 minThe TBPodDrug Development with Dr Clifton BarryToday we speak with Dr Clifton Barry from NIH in Bethesda, Maryland who is head of the most highly cited research group in the field of TB over the past year and has made extraordinary contributions to TB drug development. Dr Barry speaks about his involvement in the PREDICT TB study, the TB Drug Accelerator and some of the most exciting drug developments in recent years.REFERENCESGreen, Simon R., et al. "Lysyl-tRNA synthetase, a target for urgently needed M. tuberculosis drugs." Nature communications 13.1 (2022): 5992.https://predict-tb.com/Lange, Christoph, Clifton E. Barry...
2023-12-3142 minThe TBPodWhere are we with TB Vaccines - with Prof TriccasToday we get an update on where the TB Vaccine pipeline is up to, how TB vaccines work and what exciting candidates might be on the horizon. We speak with Professor Jamie Triccas from the University of Sydney about his work as the principal investigator on the Advancing Vaccine Adjuvant Research for Tuberculosis (AVAR-T) which is an NIH funded project to identify the most promising adjuvant-TB immunogenicity candidates for development.REFERENCESStewart, Erica, James A. Triccas, and Nikolai Petrovsky. "Adjuvant strategies for more effective tuberculosis vaccine immunity." Microorganisms 7.8 (2019): 255.Counoupas, Claudio, James A. Triccas, and...
2023-11-3040 minThe TBPodWhat does TB Elimination mean?Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Professor Giovanni Migliori about TB Elimination. Professor Migliori is the director of the WHO collaborating centre for TB and lung disease and is the current chief editor for the international journal of TB and lung disease. He was formerly the secretary general of the ERS and president of the Union's European region. Today he speaks about his recent viewpoint publication regarding how different countries should be approaching TB control and elimination and why it's important for different countries to target different objectives.References:Migliori, Giovanni Battista, et al. "...
2023-11-0140 minThe TBPodPapua New Guinean Challenges of TB in PregnancyToday we speak with Prof Mola, Dr Welch and Dr Visiliu about their amazing work tackling TB in pregnancy in Papua New Guinea. They talk about the epidemiological, geographical and social challenges of providing maternal TB care in PNG along with some insights into treatment and control.REFERENCES:Hamada, Yohhei, et al. "The safety of isoniazid tuberculosis preventive treatment in pregnant and postpartum women: systematic review and meta-analysis." European Respiratory Journal 55.3 (2020).Gupta, Amita, et al. "Timing of maternal isoniazid preventive therapy on tuberculosis infection among infants exposed to HIV in low-income and middle-income settings...
2023-10-0134 minThe TBPodHow WGS is shaping the public health in AustraliaToday we speak with Professor Justin Denholm about his work with the National TB Advisory Committee in Australia and the role whole genome sequencing (WGS) has in public health. Professor Denholm talks about how WGS is expanding the way we think about tuberculosis and how this WGS can bring us into a new age of TB elimination strategy.REFERENCES1. Ferdinand, Angeline S., et al. "An implementation science approach to evaluating pathogen whole genome sequencing in public health." Genome Medicine 13 (2021): 1-11.2. Dale, Katie, et al. "Whole genome sequencing for tuberculosis in Victoria, Australia: A genomic...
2023-09-0140 minThe TBPodDiscovery of tuberculosis - the life of Robert KochIn this extraordinary episode we speak with renowned historian Professor Christoph Gradmann about the life and work of German physician Robert Koch. In this episode we look at how Koch came to discover tuberculosis and what it meant for the field of medicine in the late 19th century.REFERENCES:Gradmann, Christoph. "Robert Koch and the pressures of scientific research: tuberculosis and tuberculin." Medical history 45.1 (2001): 1-32.Gradmann, Christoph. "Robert Koch and the white death: from tuberculosis to tuberculin." Microbes and Infection 8.1 (2006): 294-301.Gradmann, Christoph. "Robert Koch and the invention of the carrier state...
2023-07-3148 minThe TBPodDifferentiating TB from SarcoidToday we have the pleasure of speaking to both Professor Leonard (Respiratory physician and director of the sarcoidosis service for Manchester Foundation Trust) and Dr Montero (director of cellular pathology for Wythenshawe Hospital) about the complex interplay between these two illnesses and how best to approach complex patients with uncertain diagnosis of granulomatous disease.REFERENCES:Agrawal, Rupesh, et al. "Tuberculosis or sarcoidosis: opposite ends of the same disease spectrum?." Tuberculosis 98 (2016): 21-26.Baughman, Robert P., et al. "ERS clinical practice guidelines on treatment of sarcoidosis." European respiratory journal58.6 (2021).Fang, Chuling, Hui Huang, and...
2023-07-0132 minThe TBPodMind the Gap - Update on Global TB GoalsToday I had the privilege of speak with Professor Christoph Lange, Secretary General of the Union, founding chairman of TBNet and is the clinical lead for the Unite4TB Consortium. Professor Lange spoke to us about where we're up to with our EndTB Goals. Professor Lange spoke about the significant barriers that remain, where our shortfalls have come, where our successes have arisen, and what exciting opportunities lay in the years ahead for tuberculosis.REFERENCESLange, Christoph, et al. "Perspective for precision medicine for tuberculosis." Frontiers in Immunology 11 (2020): 566608Lange, Christoph, et al. "Management of...
2023-05-3145 minThe TBPodUnderstanding TB Diagnostic TestsToday I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr Emily MacLean about the exciting modern tests both commercially available and in research development for diagnosing tuberculosis. Emily talked to us about how GeneXpert has evolved and how we can get the most out of this amazing test but also about the extraordinary diagnostic tests being investigated at the moment from blood tests of host response to bacilli to AI learning cough acoustic markers of tuberculosis!REFERENCES:MacLean, Emily, et al. "Diagnostic accuracy of stool Xpert MTB/RIF for detection of pulmonary tuberculosis in children: a systematic...
2023-05-0140 minThe TBPodUnderstanding TB Screening TestsToday I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr Geoff Eather from the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane about his work and research on TST and IGRA screening for tuberculosis. This was a fantastic experience to learn more about these incredibly common tests from an expert in this field of research. REFERENCES:Auguste, Peter, et al. "Comparing interferon-gamma release assays with tuberculin skin test for identifying latent tuberculosis infection that progresses to active tuberculosis: systematic review and meta-analysis." BMC infectious diseases 17 (2017): 1-13.Campbell, Jonathon R., Nicholas Winters, and Dick Menzies. "Absolute risk of tuberculosis...
2023-03-3132 minThe TBPodTuberculosis ModellingToday I had the pleasure of speaking to Hojoon Sohn, an associate professor in infectious disease epidemiologist at the Seoul National University College of Medicine. Hojoon is an expert in TB modelling and speaks to us about his research in decentralised models of testing. This was a fascinating podcast about an area of Tuberculosis not often encountered in the clinical sphere and Hojoon gives a wonderful insight into how and why we implement diagnostic testing.REFERENCESSohn, Hojoon, et al. "Informing decision-making for universal access to quality tuberculosis diagnosis in India: an economic-epidemiological model." BMC medicine 17 (2019): 1...
2023-02-2830 minThe TBPodTherapeutic Drug Monitoring in TBToday we speak to Professor Jan-Willem Alffenaar from Westmead Hospital and the University of Sydney about Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Tuberculosis. Professor Alffenaar reviews the PK/PD issues with common TB medications, the strengths and weaknesses of TDM and how best to utilise TDM in the treatment of TB patients. REFERENCES1) personalised dosing of TB drugsClinical standards for the dosing and management of TB drugsAlffenaar JW, Stocker SL, Forsman LD, Garcia-Prats A, Heysell SK, Aarnoutse RE, Akkerman OW, Aleksa A, van Altena R, de Onata WA, Bhavani PK. Clinical standards...
2023-01-3133 minThe TBPodPredicting Side Effects in 3HPToday we speak with Professor Jann-Yuan Wang, a clinician and researcher in Taiwan, about his work in latent tuberculosis. Professor Wang speaks about his experience using 3HP and the challenges of systemic drug reactions. Professor Wang talks about his research into predicting which patients will experience systemic drug reactions based on research algorithms of clinical characteristics, plasma drug levels and transcriptomic factors.REFERENCES:1) Lee, Ming‐Chia, et al. "Isoniazid level and flu‐like symptoms during rifapentine‐based tuberculosis preventive therapy: A population pharmacokinetic analysis." British journal of clinical pharmacology (2022).2) Peng, Tzu-Rong, et al. "Advantages of short...
2023-01-0118 minThe TBPodTreatment of Drug Resistant TBDrug Resistant TB is a growing problem with some exciting advances over the past decade. With the recent Rapid Communication from the WHO and the advent of the B-PALMS regimen, drug resistant TB is a changing and exciting field of tuberculosis around the world.In this episode Professor Greg Fox from the University of Sydney speaks with Dr Jack Callum about the latest changes in the treatment of Drug Resistant TB in light of the WHO Rapid Communication as well as the NIX, ZeNIX and TB Practecal Trials. Professor Fox also addressing the implications for clinical practice...
2022-12-0134 minThe TBPodVaccination in TuberculosisBCG has long been the only widely used vaccination strategy since it's initial use over 100 years ago. In high TB burden settings it is still recommended in children to protect against disseminated disease though the lasting protection offered by BCG vaccination has been poor at best.Today, Emeritus Professor Warwick Britton AO FAHMS from the Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney speaks with Professor Greg Fox about how the BCG vaccine works and where it's utility lies. Professor Britton also explores exciting research in tuberculosis vaccines and what developments may be required to control tuberculosis in...
2022-11-0724 minThe TBPodEthical Issues in TuberculosisHow does stigma impact treatment in tuberculosis? Has the COVID-19 pandemic enabled high income countries to commiserate with lower middle income countries who have high infectious disease burden? Are antimicrobials impacting the way some countries treat tuberculosis? Dr Paul Mason explores these questions while addressing other ethical issues in tuberculosis.Dr Paul Mason is an anthropologist who has conducted community-based research in Indonesia, India and Brazil, behaviour change research in Vietnam and Brazil, and laboratory research in Australia and France. Paul’s research interests include a deep fascination with biological and cultural diversity, social and multispecies justice, and...
2022-05-1838 minThe TBPodChild and Adolescent TuberculosisTuberculosis is a global health priority and a major cause of child and adolescent morbidity and mortality. Approximately 1.5 million children and adolescents are infected with tuberculosis each year. Tuberculosis in children and adolescence is often overlooked by health providers and can be difficult to treat and diagnose. Professor Steve Graham will provide an overview of the current state of play in child and adolescent tuberculosis including the scale of the problem and our progress in reaching global targets.Prof Graham is a Paediatrician with 20 years' experience in international child health including African and Asia-Pacific regions. He is a...
2022-03-2428 minThe TBPodThe TB Practecal StudyPhilipp is the co-head of the Burnet Institute Tuberculosis Elimination and Implementation Science Group. He is an infectious diseases specialist with more than 15 years of extensive clinical and public health experience, and over 10 years’ experience in the management of TB/HIV programs. He has worked as a TB/HIV advisor, and supported program implementation and research in a range of settings. He has worked with MDR TB programs across Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Myanmar, Uganda, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. A current project is the TB Practecal Study.The TB Practecal study is a phase two, phase three study that ai...
2021-12-1326 minThe TBPodRheumatoid Arthritis and Latent Tuberculosis Reactivation - Clinical CaseDr Andrew Burke and Dr Ramdeep Bajwa discuss clinical cases consisting of rheumatoid arthritis, the risk of tuberculosis reactivation and management of tuberculosis.
2021-06-0427 minThe TBPodTuberculosis ControlWhat are the broader issues for TB control at present? How has COVID-19 impacted TB programs? What are the longer term prospects for TB control over the coming decade in the post pandemic era? Dr James Trauer and Professor Guy Marks answer these questions and discuss the areas requiring focus.Guy Marks is a respiratory physician and epidemiologist and a public health physician. He is the President of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung disease and has led the Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology group at the Woolcock since 1997. The major focus of his research interest is...
2021-04-0128 minThe TBPodTuberculosis ControlWhat are the broader issues for TB control at the moment? How has COVID-19 impacted TB programs? What are the longer term prospects for TB control over the coming decade in the post pandemic era? Dr James Trauer and Professor Guy Marks answer these questions and discuss the areas requiring focus.Guy Marks is a respiratory physician and epidemiologist and a public health physician. He is the President of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung disease and has led the Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology group at the Woolcock since 1997. The major focus of his research interest...
2021-01-1128 minThe TBPodMolecular Testing in TuberculosisMolecular testing in Tuberculosis (TB) is broad and complex. Dr Andrew Burke and Dr Chris Coulter discuss the utility/ advantages of Ultra GeneExpert, different types of line probe assays and WGS/ NGS in the future. Dr Chris Coulter uses his expertise to explain these diagnostic tools for physicians, nurses, policy makers and public health professionals.Dr Chris Coulter is a Microbiologist, the Chair of TB Expert Advisory Group for Tuberculosis in QLD, and the Director of the Queensland Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory.
2021-01-0637 minThe TBPodActive Case FindingWhat are the issues with active case finding? What is the trajectory and the way forward to obtain tangible differences in reducing TB globally? Professor Greg Fox and Dr Kavi Velen explore the answers to these questions and discuss why active case finding has not shown the anticipated level of progress predicted by the literature and the World Health Organisation.Associate Professor Greg Fox a respiratory physician, epidemiologist and clinical trialist committed to using research to improve health care among disadvantaged populations. He is clinical Academic Lead (Research) for the Faculty of Medicine and Health at Cumberland C...
2020-10-1830 minThe TBPodTuberculosis Clinical PresentationTB clinical presentation is complex. This is because TB may involve any tissue or organ, the severity of symptoms range from none to overwhelming, the tempo of the illness ranges from indolent to rapid, symptoms/ findings may be local or systematic, the presentation varies in immunocompromised and diagnostic tests such as TST or IGRA cannot provide an official diagnosis alone. Due to the complexity of TB, clinician’s may find difficulty in recognising. TB presentation. Dr Hazel Goldberg provides an insight into understanding TB clinical presentation. Dr Hazel Goldberg is a Respiratory Consultant who runs the Tuberculosis cli...
2020-08-3124 minThe TBPodThe similarities and differences between COVID-19 and TBCOVID-19 and TB respiratory illnesses share both significant similarities and differences. At first glance, the viruses appear to be very different infections. However, perhaps one of the most important similarities is how the infections affect communities epidemiologically. Dr James Trauer and Dr Anna Coussens discuss the similarities and differences between the two infections.Dr Anna Coussens is an infectious disease immunologist with a keen interest in host-pathogen interaction in tuberculosis (TB), the interaction with HIV-1, and other non-communicable diseases, including vitamin D deficiency and diabetes. Anna was the 2014-2015 Sydney Brenner Fellow, awarded by the Academy of...
2020-06-2531 minThe TBPodPaediatric Tuberculoisis TB is in the global top 10 leading causes of death in children under five. Migration and international travel have caused TB rates to have risen even in typically low burden countries. A child with infected TB may not have active disease. As a result, children are at risk of becoming reservoirs where TB may become reactivated in adulthood thus fuelling the future epidemic. Professor Ben Marais from the Marie Bashir Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, discusses paediatric TB testing, diagnosis, epidemiology, COVID-19, drug resistance in a resource-limited setting, and general TB treatment.
2020-05-1527 minThe TBPodPost TB Lung DiseasePost TB lung disease is am important yet, difficult area to research. The number of those affected by post TB lung disease is unknown however, is thought to be significant. Additionally, those affected by post TB lung disease are associated with an increased burden of symptoms along with an economic cost. Dr Anthony Bryne discusses the importance of post TB lung disease.Dr Anthony Byrne is a thoracic physician and clinical lead for tuberculosis at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney. Dr Byrne has a strong interest in respiratory infections, asthma, and structural lung disease. His doctoral studies...
2020-04-0824 minThe TBPodPatient Support and TB Treatment AdherenceDr Kerry Viney from the Australian National University and Mr Neil Heron a Clinical Nurse Consultant from NSW Health TB Program, discuss the controversial yet, important topic on patient TB treatment adherence.
2020-03-0325 min
The TBPodLatent Tuberculosis InfectionWhat is latent tuberculosis infection? How does it affect patients? How should we treat it? These questions are addressed by Associate Professor Justin Denholm and Dr James Trauer in this podcast.Associate Professor Justin Denholm is the Medical Director of the Victorian Tuberculosis Program. Justin is an infectious diseases physician and ethicist, and is actively involved in clinical and public health tuberculosis research and supervision. Dr James Trauer is a practising respiratory, sleep, general and public health physician with a primary interest in tuberculosis. He is the head of the Epidemiological Modelling Unit for the School of...
2020-02-0329 min