The ‘central nervous tuberculosis’ or ‘tuberculous meningitis’ studies that take place in South Africa are in collaboration with the University of Stellenbosch and the affiliated Tygerberg academic hospital in Cape Town. It started in 2008 with a review on the burden of TBM: ‘Twenty Years of Paediatric Tuberculous Meningitis: A Retrospective Cohort Study in the Western Cape of South Africa’. The past and current research projects are subdivided in clinical studies and basic science. The first clinical studies focused on early ‘pre-clinical’ detection of TBM and the host immune response (Regan Solomons and Douwe Visser). In that line of research, metabolomics profiling of urine samples was undertaken to develop a discriminating biosignature for different kinds of meningitis and to understand the metabolic response in TBM (Shayne Mason and ongoing by Simon Isaiah). A large postportem study of a historical cohort of brain specimens studies the immunohistopathology of TBM (ongoing by Dan Zahari). Proteomic profiling of the brain material was recently added on this topic (ongoing Abisola Shoyele). A prospective observational study is undertaken to monitor the effect of nutritional status and immunological status on the 6 months course of TBM (ongoing by Yajna Kooblal).
in 2008 the Research Line Tuberculosis & Meningitis started with a review on the burden of TBM
The Amsterdam Tuberculosis Centre (Amsterdam TBC) was initiated in 2018 by Prof.Tutu van Furth together with Prof. Cobelens, director of the AIGHD.
