The outcome of tuberculosis cases with persistent smear positivity at the end of extended initial phase

Abstract

ÖZET Uzatılmış inisial faz sonunda, smear pozitifliğinin devam ettiği tüberküloz olgularının sonucu

Second month sputum smear as a predictor of tuberculosis treatment outcomes in Brazil

“…Dead bacilli, for example, are detected by SSM; only culture can distinguish dead from alive bacilli [ 22 ]. True positive second-month SSM results can be associated with comorbidities [ 5 ], extensive lesions and high bacterial load [ 23 , 24 ], the so-called “difficult-to-treat” patients. Most of them will actually be cured at the end of treatment.…”

“…Most of them will actually be cured at the end of treatment. However, irregularity of drug intake in the initial phase of treatment [ 7 , 23 ] and the presence of resistant bacteria [ 10 ] can also be the reason for non-conversion at the second month and can result in unfavourable outcomes. Unfortunately, our study was based on programmatic data and we do not have, in the database, any information on the extension of the disease, treatment duration, or sputum culture results.…”