Assessing the Burden of Tuberculosis Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women: Implications for Integrating Tuberculosis Screening Into Routine Antenatal Care in Guinea-Bissau

At enrolment and during subsequent ANC visits, midwives at the participating health centres will perform a systematic, symptom-based evaluation, inquiring about the presence of multiple TB-related symptoms, as delineated by the Bandim TBscore II. Notably, in this phase of the study, the outcome of the Bandim TBscore II will not serve as basis for diagnostic decision-making. Throughout the baseline phase, midwives will exercise clinical discretion, adhering to national guidelines and established routine practices, to determine whether referral for TB diagnostic testing is warranted. The only TB diagnostics available and used in standard ANC routine is sputum GeneXpert. In line with national guidelines and practices, all pregnant women undergo HIV testing at their first ANC visit.

In the intervention, and inclusion and subsequent ANC visits, pregnant women will be interviewed by midwives regarding TB exposure and previous TB, and systematically screened with the Bandim TBscore II, which categorises patients based on the severity of their symptoms. Women exhibiting moderate symptoms (TBscoreII=2-3) suggestive of TB will be referred for GeneXpert testing sputum and/or faecal samples, while individuals with more severe symptoms (TBscoreII=4-8) will additionally receive chest radiography, which will be analysed with AI software. Due to high co-infection rates, all HIV-positive women, regardless of their Bandim TBscore II, will be tested with both GeneXpert and chest radiography. Women with positive GeneXpert results will be referred for treatment, while women with chest radiography will attend a consultation with a TB specialist. Participants will be reassessed for TB symptoms at each subsequent ANC visit and at 6 months postpartum.