Pulmonary tuberculosis among people living with HIV/AIDS attending care and treatment in rural northern Tanzania.
BACKGROUND
Tuberculosis is the commonest opportunistic infection and the number one cause of death in HIV/AIDS patients in developing countries. To address the extent of the tuberculosis HIV coinfection in rural Tanzania we conducted a cross sectional study including HIV/AIDS patients attending care and treatment clinic from September 2006 to March 2007.


METHODS
Sputum samples were collected for microscopy, culture and drug susceptibility testing. Chest X-ray was done for those patients who consented. Blood samples were collected for CD4+ T cells count.


RESULTS
The prevalence of tuberculosis was 20/233 (8.5%). Twenty (8.5%) sputum samples were culture positive. Eight of the culture positive samples (40%) were smear positive. Fifteen (75%) of these patients neither had clinical symptoms nor chest X-ray findings suggestive of tuberculosis. Nineteen isolates (95%) were susceptible to rifampicin, isoniazid, streptomycin and ethambutol (the first line tuberculosis drugs). One isolate (5%) from HIV/tuberculosis coinfected patients was resistant to isoniazid. No cases of multi- drug resistant tuberculosis were identified.


CONCLUSIONS
We found high prevalence of tuberculosis disease in this setting. Chest radiograph suggestive of tuberculosis and clinical symptoms of fever and cough were uncommon findings in HIV/tuberculosis coinfected patients. Tuberculosis can occur at any stage of CD4+T cells depletion.
Ngowi
Bernard J
BJ
Haydom Lutheran Hospital, Mbulu District, Manyara Region, Tanzania. bernard.ngowi@student.uib.no
Mfinanga
Sayoki G
SG
Bruun
Johan N
JN
Morkve
Odd
O
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology
D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents; D000995:Antitubercular Agents