Biography
Dr Rebecca (Ribka) Berhanu is an infectious diseases physician and assistant professor in the department of medicine, division of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Vanderbilt Institute of Global Health. She is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and collaborates closely with researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand. Her research focuses on tuberculosis diagnostics and case-finding strategies in high burden settings. Her clinical work in the US and in South Africa is focused on the care of hospitalized patients with HIV and complex infectious diseases.
Key Impacts
Incremental yield of the addition of tongue swab to sputum molecular testing for tuberculosis in South African adult primary healthcare clinic attendees
The incremental yield of adding tongue swab to standard of care sputum molecular testing was modest though non-significant regional variation existed. Tongue swab testing may still be of benefit in high prevalence communities and settings where sputum collection is challenging. Implementation research should study use cases for tongue swabs to screen and test for TB in populations currently missed by sputum-based testing.
Source: Conference 2024
Test performance of tongue swabs subjected to Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra, collected from high-risk South African adult primary healthcare clinic attendees (TUTTPlus Study)
Tongue swab testing demonstrated sub-optimal sensitivity and excellent specificity relative to sputum molecular testing for TB in this largely asymptomatic population of primary healthcare clinic attendees. Sensitivity was highest in men, particularly symptomatic men without HIV. Globally, men face a higher risk for TB yet lower diagnosis rates. Using a targeted testing strategy with tongue swab testing could facilitate TB detection in men, particularly in community settings outside health facilities.
Source: Conference 2024
Missed opportunities: High yield of universal TB testing in people and their companions in the emergency department in South Africa
High TB testing yield (4.5%) among unselected[TS1] ED patients and companions –most asymptomatic and without identifiable risk factors – demonstrates significant missed opportunities for TB detection in South African emergency department settings in South Africa. These findings support further exploring universal TB testing approaches in EDs within high TB prevalence settings.
Source: Conference 2024