The sensitivity of microscopy for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is around 50% but decreases by about 15% in patients with suspected TB who are coinfected with HIV. Here, we compared the accuracies of three microscopy methods for processing sputum smears (concentration by centrifugation with or without N-acetyl-L-cysteine [NALC] and concentration by filtration on a polycarbonate membrane) to that of culture on Ogawa-Kudoh medium as the gold standard method. Sputum samples were obtained from 432 patients with suspected pulmonary TB, of whom 60% were infected with HIV. Analysis was performed using the first specimen. Compared to the gold standard culture, the small-membrane-filter (SMF) method was the most sensitive microscopic method. In HIV-infected TB patients, the sensitivity of the SMF method was significantly higher than those for centrifugation of sputum samples with or without NALC treatment (61.9%, 47.6%, and 45.2%, respectively; P ‫؍‬ 0.001). Similarly, in TB patients without HIV infection, the sensitivity of the SMF method was significantly higher than those for centrifugation of sputum samples with or without NALC treatment (81.8%, 63.6%, and 57.5%, respectively; P ‫؍‬ 0.001). In the two study groups, TB patients with or without HIV, no significant differences between the specificities of the three methods were observed. Handling of the second sputum sample similarly by centrifugation with or without NALC and by the SMF method increased positivities by 13%, 11%, and 4%, respectively. The overall agreement between microscopy and culture was above 90% for all groups. Microscopic evaluation of the sputum samples treated with NALC compared to those not treated with NALC did not show any increase in sensitivity. Altogether, the sensitivity of the SMF method is higher than those of the other two microscopic methods studied without a loss of specificity. Diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) in HIV-infected patients still presents a major challenge since clinical and radiological findings are often atypical (1, 2), and many cases of smear-negative pulmonary TB are undiagnosed (3). Sputum smear microscopy, a low-cost method, is important in resource-limited scenarios, where cultures are not available, but it provides a lower sensitivity in HIV-infected patients with suspected TB (4-6).Filtration on a polycarbonate membrane, the small-membrane-filter (SMF) method, was proved to have greater sensitivity and specificity than direct microscopy, even after centrifugation of sputum samples (7,8), but the HIV status of the populations was not reported in those studies.Under the routine conditions of a bacteriology laboratory, we evaluated this method in patients with suspected TB, most of whom were infected with HIV, along with bacilloscopy after centrifugation with or without decontamination. The three methods were compared to culture on solid medium (Ogawa-Kudoh [OK]), considered the gold standard for TB diagnosis in our setting, and their sensitivities, specificities, and Cohen's kappa coefficients were calculated. MAT...

The sensitivity and speed of MGIT demonstrate the utility of liquid cultures for the diagnosis in children. Furthermore, these results suggest that the use of MGIT in children presenting recent household TB contact and a strong tuberculin test reaction may be a strategy to improve early TB diagnosis.

63www.scielo.br/rsbmt I www.rsbmt.org.br Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical 48(Suppl I):63-69, 2015http://dx.doi. org/10.1590/0037-8682-0055-2014 Review Article ABSTRACT Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the infectious diseases that contributes most to the morbidity and mortality of millions of people worldwide. Brazil is one of 22 countries that accounts for 80% of the tuberculosis global burden. The highest incidence rates in Brazil occur in the States of Amazonas and Rio de Janeiro. The aim of this study was to describe the temporal distribution of TB in the State of Amazonas. Between 2001 and 2011, 28,198 cases of tuberculosis were reported in Amazonas, distributed among 62 municipalities, with the capital Manaus reporting the highest (68.7%) concentration of cases. Tuberculosis was more prevalent among males (59.3%) aged 15 to 34 years old (45.5%), whose race/color was predominantly pardo (64.7%) and who had pulmonary TB (84.3%). During this period, 81 cases of multidrug-resistant TB were registered, of which the highest concentration was reported from 2008 onward (p = 0.002). The municipalities with the largest numbers of indigenous individuals affected were São Gabriel da Cachoeira (93%), Itamarati (78.1%), and Santa Isabel do Rio Negro (70.1%). The future outlook for this region includes strengthening the TB control at the primary care level, by expanding diagnostic capabilities, access to treatment, research projects developed in collaboration with the Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado Tropical Medicine Foundation [Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD)] and fi nancing institutions, such as the project for the expansion of the Clinical Research Center and the creation of a hospital ward for individuals with transmissible respiratory diseases, including TB.

ObjectiveThis study evaluated the performance of the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and Quantiferon-TB Gold in-Tube (QFT) and the possible association of factors which may modify their results in young children (0–6 years) with recent contact with an index tuberculosis case.Materials and MethodsA cross-sectional study including 135 children was conducted in Manaus, Amazonas-Brazil. The TST and QFT were performed and the tests results were analyzed in relation to the personal characteristics of the children studied and their relationship with the index case.ResultsThe rates of positivity were 34.8% (TST) and 26.7% (QFT), with 14.1% of indeterminations by the QFT. Concordance between tests was fair (Kappa = 0.35 P<0.001). Both the TST and QFT were associated with the intensity of exposure (Linear OR = 1.286, P = 0.005; Linear OR = 1.161, P = 0.035 respectively) with only the TST being associated with the time of exposure (Linear OR = 1.149, P = 0.009). The presence of intestinal helminths in the TST+ group was associated with negative QFT results (OR = 0.064, P = 0.049). In the TST− group lower levels of ferritin were associated with QFT+ results (Linear OR = 0.956, P = 0.036).ConclusionsConcordance between the TST and QFT was lower than expected. The factors associated with the discordant results were intestinal helminths, ferritin levels and exposure time to the index tuberculosis case. In TST+ group, helminths were associated with negative QFT results suggesting impaired cell-mediated immunity. The TST−&QFT+ group had a shorter exposure time and lower ferritin levels, suggesting that QFT is faster and ferritin may be a potential biomarker of early stages of tuberculosis infection.