Tuberculosis 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.

Keywords: GeneXpert, Tuberculosis, HIV, Sudan.