Video Based Directly Observed Therapy for Latent TB

Center for Disease Control (CDC) data reveal that after years of sustained decrease, the incidence of active tuberculosis (TB) disease in the US has plateaued. Most of the cases occur when Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) reactivates replication in people who have latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Only 5 to 10% of subjects with LTBI develop active TB Infection over their lifetime. Current US guidelines recommend treating everyone with LTBI to stop progression to active TB. As treatment is long, only about 45-55% of patients finish treatment overall, regardless of whether the patients are at high (\>10%) or low lifetime risk of reactivation. The investigator's study aims to test the efficacy of a combined approach of first determining subjects at high risk of reactivation and then treating them with a CDC approved once a week treatment regimen, directly observed by a nurse over video (video-based Directly Observed Therapy, vDOT). Ensuring treatment of the high-risk group will eventually decrease the community active TB burden.