Making the most of poor diagnostics : increasing access to tuberculosis treatment through optimized smear microscopy services

Thesis

Front cover

Title pages

Table of contents

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Commercial serological tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis : do they work?

Chapter 3: Yield of serial sputum specimen examinations in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis : a systematic review

Chapter 4: Optimizing sputum smear microscopy for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis

Chapter 5: The bleach microscopy method and case detection for tuberculosis control

Chapter 6: Duration and associated factors of patient delay during tuberculosis screening in rural Cameroon

Chapter 7: Patient costs associated with smear-based investigation of pulmonary tuberculosis in urban and rural patients in Yemen and Nepal

Chapter 8: Investing time in microscopy : an opportunity to optimize smear-based case detection of tuberculosis

Chapter 9: Bleach sedimentation : an opportunity to optimize smear microscopy for tuberculosis diagnosis in settings of high prevalence of HIV

Chapter 10: Reducing the number of sputum samples examined and thresholds for positivity : an opportunity to optimize smear microscopy

Chapter 11: Frontloading sputum smear microscopy services : an opportunity to optimize smear-based case detection of tuberculosis in high-prevalence countries

Chapter 12: New policies, new technologies : modeling the potential for improved smear microscopy services in Malawi

Chapter 13: Sputum, sex and scanty smears : new case definition may reduce sex disparities in smear-positive tuberculosis

Chapter 14.1: Evidence-based TB diagnosis

Chapter 14.2: General discussion

Summary

Samenvatting

Personal dedication

Acknowledgements

Curriculum vitae

Additional publications

WHO recommendations influenced by this research

Colophon