title: A Blueprint to Address Research Gaps in the Development of Biomarkers for Pediatric Tuberculosis.
abstract: Childhood tuberculosis contributes significantly to the global tuberculosis disease burden but remains challenging to diagnose due to inadequate methods of pathogen detection in paucibacillary pediatric samples and lack of a child-specific host biomarker to identify disease. Accurately diagnosing tuberculosis in children is required to improve case detection, surveillance, healthcare delivery, and effective advocacy. In May 2014, the National Institutes of Health convened a workshop including researchers in the field to delineate priorities to address this research gap. This blueprint describes the consensus from the workshop, identifies critical research steps to advance this field, and aims to catalyze efforts toward harmonization and collaboration in this area.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Microbiology and Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town and National Health Laboratory Service of South Africa.
authors.forename: Mark Patrick
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Nicol
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Devasena
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gnanashanmugam
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Browning
authors.affiliation: Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Eleanor S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Click
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Luis E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Cuevas
authors.affiliation: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Detjen
authors.affiliation: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France Centre for International Child Health, University of Melbourne, and Department of Paediatrics and Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Steve M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Mamodikoe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makhene
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: Payam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nahid
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix, University of Arizona College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Carlos M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Perez-Velez
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reither
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Rinn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: HJF-DAIDS, a Division of The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc, Contractor to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Hans M L
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Spiegel
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Worrell
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross Children's Hospital and Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town.
authors.forename: Heather J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zar
authors.affiliation: Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research/Medical Research Council Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Walzl
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D018070:Biological Specimen Banks; D015415:Biomarkers; D035843:Biomedical Research; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D010372:Pediatrics; D013048:Specimen Handling; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: biomarker; blueprint; children; diagnosis; tuberculosis