title: Consensus Statement on Research Definitions for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Children.
abstract: Few children with drug-resistant (DR) tuberculosis (TB) are identified, diagnosed, and given an appropriate treatment. The few studies that have described this vulnerable population have used inconsistent definitions. The World Health Organization (WHO) definitions used for adults with DR-TB and for children with drug-susceptible TB are not always appropriate for children with DR-TB. The Sentinel Project on Pediatric Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis was formed in 2011 as a network of experts and stakeholders in childhood DR-TB. An early priority was to establish standardized definitions for key parameters in order to facilitate study comparisons and the development of an evidence base to guide future clinical management. This consensus statement proposes standardized definitions to be used in research. In particular, it suggests consistent terminology, as well as definitions for measures of exposure, drug resistance testing, previous episodes and treatment, certainty of diagnosis, site and severity of disease, adverse events, and treatment outcome.
authors.affiliation: Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Seddon
authors.affiliation: Grupo Tuberculosis Valle-Colorado, and Clínica León XIII IPS Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: Carlos M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Perez-Velez
authors.affiliation: Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa Tygerberg Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: H Simon
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Schaaf
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, TB Research Unit, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Jennifer J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Furin
authors.affiliation: Sydney Institute for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, and The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Ben J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Marais
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Clinical and Experimental Science, Faculty of Medicine, and Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, United Kingdom Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tebruegge
authors.affiliation: The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, New York, and.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Detjen
authors.affiliation: Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Anneke C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Hesseling
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
authors.forename: Sarita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Disease and International Health, Global Health Initiative, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire.
authors.forename: Lisa V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Jeffrey R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Starke
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Soumya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Swaminathan
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School Partners In Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Mercedes C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Becerra
keywords: Children; Consensus; Definition; Drug-Resistance; Pediatric; Tuberculosis