title: Is the Beijing strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis associated with cavitary lung disease?
abstract: We conducted a cross-sectional study to describe clinical characteristics of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis with and without evidence of pulmonary cavitation on chest radiography and assess whether cavitation is associated with infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing strain. Cases were selected from the Tuberculosis Registry (January 1, 2008-November 1, 2011) of the Florida Department of Health (FDOH). Molecular characterization was performed by spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTR. We analyzed 975 cases, where 144 (14.8%) were infected with the Beijing strain. Cavitation was not associated with disease caused by the Beijing strain. Alcohol use (OR = 1.7; 95%CI: 1.249-2.313) was associated with increased risk of cavitation in the unadjusted analyses. Multivariable analyses showed that older age (⩾ 65 years) (OR = 0.5; 95%CI: 0.233-0.871), Hispanic ethnicity (OR = 0.6; 95%CI: 0.312-0.962), and co-infection with HIV (OR = 0.1; 95%CI: 0.068-0.295) demonstrated protective effects to cavitation. Understanding the factors associated with cavitation among pulmonary cases is essential toward improved tuberculosis management and control.
authors.affiliation: Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, 2055 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States. Electronic address: Helena.Chapman@medicine.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Helena J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.affiliation: Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, 2055 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States. Electronic address: phillsa@ortho.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, 2055 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States. Electronic address: Jennifer.Hosford@medicine.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hosford
authors.affiliation: Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, 2055 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States; Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, 2004 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States. Electronic address: nseraphin@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Marie Nancy
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Séraphin
authors.affiliation: Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, 2055 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States. Electronic address: Mike.Lauzardo@medicine.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lauzardo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000145:classification*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011859:Radiography; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Beijing; Cavitation; Molecular epidemiology; Tuberculosis