Table 5:

Proposed research priorities for co-prevalent SAM and TB in children.

Prospective cohort studies of children with SAM, especially at different levels of care, to further detail: prevalence of TB in this population relative risk of incident TB association between response to therapeutic feeds (ie. weight gain) and TB diagnosis or response to anti-tuberculosis therapy for diagnosed TB differences in TB risk and mortality with different types of SAM and MAM Develop practical, evidence-based systematic screening strategies for TB in children with SAM Improve implementation of nutritional status screening and linkage to nutritional services for children diagnosed with TB Develop accurate, low-cost, non-invasive strategies for diagnosis of TB in children with SAM Assess utility of empiric ATT in children with SAM with key risk factors for TB (HIV, TB contact, lack of food insecurity or other clear aetiology of malnutrition) Determine optimal dosing of ATT for children with SAM by inclusion of, or focus on, malnourished children in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies and meta-analysis of existing data Improve strategies for early confirmation of TB treatment response Develop decentralized approaches, supported by translational and implementation research, integrated into existing local child health programs (eg. IMCI) for case finding and case management