title: HIV positivity in TB suspects--an observational, non-randomized study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of TB, HIV, and TB- HIV co-infection in 618 patients who attended the health institute for TB diagnosis and treatment at a rural tertiary care hospital in Punjab.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pulmonary T.B was diagnosed by sputum smear microscopy, culture and extra-pulmonary TB was diagnosed by X-ray, CT and other methods. HIV diagnosis was made by testing the sera by 3E/R/S (ELISA/RAPID/SIMPLE) tests as per NACO guidelines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the total 618 patients, 74(12%) were patients of pulmonary TB, out of whom 72 were diagnosed by Ziehl Neelsen (ZN) staining and two were diagnosed by culture as the ZN stained smear was negative, 169(27.3%) were cases of extra-pulmonary TB. Three out of 618 were HIV positive. 1.23% were TB- HIV co-infected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk of developing TB increases in patients with HIV. So, HIV and TB programmes should be collaborated together and should be closely integrated with medical care to curb the spread of these deadly diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SGRDIMSAR), Amritsar, Punjab. drparmindergill@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Parminder
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.forename: Poonam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Aruna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
mesh_terms: D060085:Coinfection; D006678:HIV; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*