Performance of Xpert MTB/RIF for Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected People in China: A Retrospective, Single-Center Study

BACKGROUND: There are few studies of GeneXpert MTB/RIF (hereafter referred to as Xpert) detection technology in HIV-infected people in China. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the value of Xpert in HIV/TB co-infected patients and to provide reference and guidance for the diagnosis of TB in HIV-infected populations. MATERIAL/METHODS: This study reviewed medical records of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients hospitalized at the Infection Center of Beijing Ditan Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from January 2018 to May 2020, and patients diagnosed with pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis were screened as study subjects. Sensitivity and specificity of Xpert were analyzed using ROC curves. RESULTS: Of the 413 HIV patients, 177 patients met the entry criteria, of which the diagnosis was active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB): 145 and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB): 32. The sensitivity of Xpert for PTB and EPTB was 82.0% and 100%, higher than that of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) (61.0% and 58.3%), and slightly lower than that of T-SPOT.TB (91.0% and 100%); the specificity was 83.7% and 93.5%, higher than that of AFB (72.6%, 87.1%) and T-SPOT.TB (16.6%, 21.2%). The sensitivity of Xpert was 100% in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and 80.0% in sputum; in patients with CD4(+) <200 cells/mm(3), the sensitivity of Xpert was 90.0% and specificity was 84.8%, higher than that of AFB (60.0%, 75.5%) and T-SPOT.TB (90.0%, 21.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Xpert has a high accuracy in HIV/TB co-infected patients, and Xpert still shows a high sensitivity and specificity even in HIV patients with CD4(+) <200 cells/mm(3). Xpert is recommended for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients.