There has been a significant increase in the number of students, residents, and fellows from high-income settings participating in short-term global health experiences (STGHEs) during their medical training. This analysis explores a series of ethical conflicts reported by medical residents and fellows from Emory University School of Medicine in the United States who participated in a 1-month global health rotation in Ethiopia. A constant comparative analysis was conducted using 30 consecutive reflective essays to identify emerging categories and themes of ethical conflicts experienced by the trainees. Ethical conflicts were internal; based in the presence of the visiting trainee and their personal interactions; or external, occurring due to witnessed events. Themes within internal conflicts include issues around professional identity and insufficient preparation for the rotation. External experiences were further stratified by the trainee's perception that Ethiopian colleagues agreed that the scenario represented an ethical conflict (congruent) or disagreed with the visiting trainee's perspective (incongruent). Examples of congruent themes included recognizing opportunities for collaboration and witnessing ethical conflicts that are similar to those experienced in the United States. Incongruent themes included utilization of existing resources, issues surrounding informed consent, and differing expectations of clinical outcomes. By acknowledging the frequency and roots of ethical conflicts experienced during STGHEs, sponsors may better prepare visiting trainees and reframe these conflicts as collaborative educational experiences that benefit both the visiting trainee and host providers.

Background: Tuberculosis meningitis (TBM) is the most lethal form of TB. It is difficult to treat in part due to poor or uncertain drug penetration into the central nervous system (CNS). To help fill this knowledge gap, we evaluated the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of fluoroquinolones and carbapenems in patients being treated for TBM. Methods: Serial serum and CSF samples were collected from hospitalized patients being treated for TBM. CSF was collected from routine lumbar punctures between alternating timepoints of 2 and 6 h after drug administration to capture early and late CSF penetration. Rich serum sampling was collected after drug administration on day 28 for non-compartmental analysis. Results: Among 22 patients treated for TBM (8 with confirmed disease), there was high use of fluoroquinolones (levofloxacin, 21; moxifloxacin, 10; ofloxacin, 6) and carbapenems (imipenem, 11; meropenem, 6). Median CSF total concentrations of levofloxacin at 2 and 6 h were 1.34 mg/L and 3.36 mg/L with adjusted CSF/serum ratios of 0.41 and 0.63, respectively. For moxifloxacin, the median CSF total concentrations at 2 and 6 h were 0.78 mg/L and 1.02 mg/L with adjusted CSF/serum ratios of 0.44 and 0.62. Serum and CSF concentrations of moxifloxacin were not affected by rifampin use. Among the 76 CSF samples measured for carbapenem concentrations, 79% were undetectable or below the limit of detection. Conclusion: Fluoroquinolones demonstrated high CSF penetration indicating their potential usefulness for the treatment of TBM. Carbapenems had lower than expected CSF concentrations.

Objective: We explored barriers to proper foot care in this population using a qualitative approach with focus group discussions (FGD). Methods: Participants were recruited from clinics at a safety-net hospital in Atlanta, Georgia and stratified into two groups: diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) and minor amputation (below ankle). The FGDs addressed patient experience in receiving care with a goal of understanding: foot care knowledge, barriers to care, and preferred educational methods. Surveys were performed to supplement FGDs. Results: Forty participants (90% Black) were enrolled. Dominant themes emerging from FGDs were: 1-Patients reported adequate understanding of recommended foot care practices; 2-Personal barriers to self-care included lack of motivation, high cost, poor insurance coverage of supplies, and difficulty limiting activity for proper offloading; 3-Hospital system barriers included difficulty making timely appointments and reaching a provider to arrange care; 4-Access to footcare-related information and services improved with greater disease severity. Participants stressed that improved access often came too late to alter their course. They expressed interest in developing peer support groups to facilitate learning and sharing information relating to DFU. Conclusion: We found that patients with DFU or minor amputations have adequate footcare-related knowledge, but personal and systemic barriers limited appropriate foot care.

Introduction Traditionally, single critical concentrations of drugs are utilized for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) drug susceptibility testing (DST); however, the level of drug resistance can impact treatment choices and outcomes. Mutations at the katG gene are the major genetic mutations in multidrug resistant (MDR) Mtb and usually associated with high level resistance. We assessed the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of MDR or rifampin resistant (RR) and isoniazid (INH) resistant Mtb isolates to determine the quantification of drug resistance among key anti-tuberculosis drugs. Methods The study was conducted on stored Mtb isolates collected as part of a national drug resistance survey in Ethiopia. MIC values were determined using Sensititre™ MYCOTB plates. A line probe assay (MTBDRplus) was also performed to identify genetic determinants of resistance for all isolates. Results MIC testing was performed on 74 Mtb isolates including 46 MDR, 2 RR and 26 INH phenotypically resistant isolates as determined by the Löwenstein Jensen (LJ) method. Four (15%) INH resistant Mtb isolates were detected as borderline rifampin resistance (MIC = 1 μg/ml) using MYCOTB MIC plates and no rifampin resistance mutations were detected by LPA. Among the 48 MDR/RR TB cases, 9 (19%) were rifabutin susceptible (MIC was between ≤0.25 and 0.5μg/ml). Additionally, the MIC for isoniazid was between 2–4 μg/ml (moderate resistance) for 58% of MDR TB isolates and 95.6% (n = 25) of the isolates had mutations at the katG gene. Conclusion Our findings suggest a role for rifabutin treatment in a subset of RR TB patients, thus potentially preserving an important drug class. The high proportion of moderate level INH resistant among MDR Mtb isolates indicates the potential benefit of high dose isoniazid treatment in a high proportion of katG gene harboring MDR Mtb isolates.

Setting: The study was conducted at the National Center for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NCTBLD) in Tbilisi, Georgia.Objective: To assess the utility of contact investigation for tuberculosis (TB) case detection. We also assessed the prevalence and risk factors for active TB disease and latent TB infection (LTBI) among contacts of active pulmonary TB cases.Design: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among the contacts of active pulmonary TB cases registered in 2010-2011 at the NCTBLD in Tbilisi, Georgia. Contacts of active TB patients were investigated according to an "invitation model": they were referred to the NCTBLD by the index case; were queried about clinical symptoms suggestive of active TB disease; tuberculin skin testing and chest radiographs were performed. Demographic, laboratory, and clinical data of TB patients and their contacts were abstracted from existing records up to February 2013.Results: 869 contacts of 396 index cases were enrolled in the study; a median of 2 contacts were referred per index case. Among the 869 contacts, 47 (5.4%) were found to have or developed active TB disease: 30 (63.8%) were diagnosed with TB during the baseline period (co-prevalent cases) and 17 (36.2%) developed active TB disease during the follow-up period (mean follow up of 21 months) (incident TB cases). The incidence rate of active TB disease among contacts was 1126.0 per 100 000 person years (95% CI 655.7-1802.0 per 100,000 person-years). Among the 402 contacts who had a tuberculin skin test (TST) performed, 52.7% (95% CI 47.7-57.7%) had LTBI.Conclusions: A high prevalence of LTBI and active TB disease was found among the contacts of TB cases in Tbilisi, Georgia. Our findings demonstrated that an "invitation" model of contact investigation was an effective method of case detection. Therefore, contact investigation should be scaled up in Georgia.

Background Cryptococcus neoformans is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons worldwide, and there are scarce recent data on cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) positivity in the United States We sought to determine the frequency of cryptococcal disease and compare the performance of a CrAg lateral flow assay (LFA) versus latex agglutination (LA) test. Methods All patients from Grady Health System in Atlanta who had a serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample sent for CrAg testing as part of clinical care from November 2017 to July 2018 were included. Percentage positivity and test agreement were calculated. Results Among 467 patients, 557 diagnostic tests were performed; 413 on serum and 144 on CSF. The mean age was 44 years, and most were male (69%) and had HIV (79%). Twenty-four (6.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.1–9.4) patients were serum CrAg positive, and 8 (5.8%, 95% CI = 2.6–11.2) individuals tested positive for CSF CrAg. Although overall agreement between the LA and LFA was substantial to high for CSF (κ = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.51–0.91) and serum (κ = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.86–1.00), respectively, there were important discrepancies. Five patients had false-positive CSF LA tests that affected clinical care, and 4 patients had discordant serum tests. Conclusions We found a moderately high proportion of cryptococcal disease and important discrepancies between the LA test and LFA. Clinical implications of these findings include accurate detection of serum CrAg and averting unnecessary treatment of meningitis with costly medications associated with high rates of adverse events.

Background: New approaches are needed in the treatment of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (M/XDR-PTB). We evaluated the role of adjunctive surgical therapy in the treatment of M/XDR-PTB in the setting of directly observed treatment strategy (DOTS)-Plus implementation. Methods: We conducted an observational cohort study consisting of M/XDR-PTB patients who underwent thoracic surgery at the National Tuberculosis Center in Tbilisi, Georgia between October 2008 and February 2011. Indications for surgery included presence of M/XDR-PTB, localized pulmonary disease, fit to undergo surgery, and either medical treatment failure or such extensive drug resistance that failure was likely. Second-line anti-tuberculosis medical therapy was administered per World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Results: Seventy-five patients (51 MDR, 24 XDR) with PTB underwent adjunctive thoracic surgery. Median age was 30 years and average duration of preoperative M/XDR-PTB medical therapy was 342 days. The following surgical procedures were performed: pneumonectomy (11%), lobectomy (54%), and segmentectomy (35%). Mean postoperative follow-up time was 372 days. Of 72 patients with evaluable outcomes, 59 (82%) had favorable outcomes including 90% of MDR and 67% of XDR-TB patients. There was no postoperative mortality; postoperative complications occurred in 7 patients (9%). Risk factors for poor treatment outcomes in univariate analysis included bilateral disease, XDR, increasing effective drugs received, positive preoperative sputum culture, and major postoperative surgical complication. Conclusions: Patients with M/XDR-PTB undergoing adjunctive thoracic surgery had high rates of favorable outcomes, no surgical-related mortality, and low rates of complications. Adjunctive surgery appears to play an important role in the treatment of select patients with M/XDR-PTB.

SETTING: Georgia has a high burden of tuberculosis (TB), including multidrug-resistant TB. Enhancing early diagnosis of TB is a priority to reduce transmission. OBJECTIVE: To quantify delays in TB diagnosis and identify risk factors for delay in the country of Georgia. DESIGN: In a cross-sectional study, persons with newly diagnosed, culture-confirmed pulmonary TB were interviewed within 2 months of diagnosis and medical and laboratory records were abstracted. RESULTS: Among 247 persons enrolled, the mean and median total TB diagnostic delay was respectively 89.9 and 59.5 days. The mean and median patient delay was 56.2 and 23.5 days, while health care system delay was 33.7 and 14.0 days. In multivariable analysis, receipt of a medication prior to TB diagnosis was associated with increased overall diagnostic delay (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.28, 95%CI 1.09-4.79); antibiotic use prior to diagnosis increased the risk of prolonged health care delay (aOR 4.16, 95%CI 1.97-8.79). TB cases who had increased patient-related diagnostic delay were less likely to have prolonged health care diagnostic delay (aOR 0.38, 95%CI 0.19-0.74). CONCLUSION: Prolonged delays in detecting TB are common in Georgia. Interventions addressing the misuse of antibiotics and targeting groups at risk for prolonged delay are warranted to reduce diagnostic delays and enhance TB control.

Mentoring is a critical component of career development for research scientists and is related to mentee success both in terms of career selection and advancement. However, there are limited data on the role of mentoring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Cross-cultural mentorship programs have the potential to foster the transfer of knowledge and the development of capacity to resource-poor settings. This formative evaluation explores the cultural context of mentoring in the countries of Georgia and Ethiopia. Results were used to build culturally relevant mentor training programs for two Global Infectious Disease Research Training Programs focused on tuberculosis funded by the Fogarty International Center at the US National Institutes of Health. Four focus group discussions were conducted with research trainees and mentors toexplore the perceptions of mentorship, identify obstacles for successful mentoring, and generate recommendations to strengthen mentoring in each program situated in a LMIC. Data revealed the barriers to mentoring in Ethiopia and Georgia included gaps in knowledge about mentoring roles and responsibilities, lack of knowledge about the responsibilities of the trainee in a mentoring relationship, and the need to set clear expectations between mentors and trainees. All of the focus group participants desired formal mentor training. These data informed six key components of the development and implementation of the mentor training programs in both countries. The topics included the following: a foundation in mentoring, establishing expectations between mentees and mentors, increasing interactions between mentees and mentors, additional mentor training, a case study curriculum, and methods of evaluating mentoring relationships.

Objectives: We aimed to review and describe antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prevalence in humans, animals, and the environment in Ethiopia. Methods: We conducted a structured review of literature on AMR in humans, animals, and the environment in Ethiopia from 2016–2020. We reported the pooled prevalence of AMR of bacterial pathogens in all 3 sectors. Results: We included 43 articles in our review. Only 5 studies evaluated AMR across multiple sectors. The most common bacteria in humans were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus. High prevalence of resistance to third-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim were seen in gram-negative organisms, often with >50% prevalence of resistance. Highest resistance rates were seen in humans, followed by environmental isolates. Salmonella spp. exhibited higher rates of resistance than previously reported in the literature. We found methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in approximately half of S. aureus from the environment and a third from human isolates. Few studies evaluated AMR across all 3 sectors. Conclusion: Our review demonstrated high prevalence of AMR among bacteria in humans, animals, and the environment in Ethiopia. Integrating a One Health approach into AMR surveillance as part of Ethiopia's national surveillance program will inform future implementation of One Health interventions.