Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome constitute the main burden of infectious diseases in resource-limited countries. Rapid tuberculosis diagnostic testing with GeneXpert in all HIV-positive inpatients in high-burden settings might be more appropriate than conventional methods. This study aims to assess the utility of GeneXpert in the diagnosis of TB in HIV-infected adults. An observational prospective and retrospective study was conducted in Omdurman ART clinic (OMACU) among adult patients with HIV/AIDS registered and on regular follow-up who underwent both AFB smear microscopy and GeneXpert testing for TB. Data was collected by the researcher and analyzed using SPSS V 28 software. The study included 190 patients with HIV infection who underwent sputum AFB and GeneXpert testing for TB. The mean age was 38±10, with 58% males, 89.5% living inside Khartoum, and the age at diagnosis was 36±10 years. On presentation, fatigue was the most common presenting symptom (94%), along with weight loss (92%), fever (70%), night sweating (52%), and cough (41%). The detection rate of sputum AFB testing was 14%, while GeneXpert was 60%, with GeneXpert detecting all the cases detected by sputum AFB. Multivariate logistic regression testing revealed that clinical staging, contact history, vaccination status, and cough affect the detection of TB.

Key words: GeneXpert, tuberculosis, HIV, Sudan.