Resumo

MEDEROS, Lilian María et al. Diagnóstico de Mycobacterium tuberculosis en pacientes sintomáticos incluyendo los infectados con el Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida (SIDA). AVFT [online]. 2008, vol.27, n.2, pp.121-124. ISSN 0798-0264.

Favored by the appearance of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis has significantly increased. It has been stated that TB and HIV make a lethal partnership: one accelerating the advance of the other and viceversa; that iswhy early diagnosis of TB has become so important. This paper is aimed at analysing the positivity of the bacteriological diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in our laboratory, from January 2000 to December 2006, in symptomatic patients, including HIV+ patients receiving treatment in our institution. All samples studied were processed by conventionaldiagnostic techniques, direct examination as well as by culture and identification tests. A total of 8151 samples were analysed, but Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated in only 205 of those samples for a 2,5% of positivity. Susceptibility test, through Canetti’s method, was applied to the strains isolated; no resistant strains to any of the antitubercular drugs used were observed. This fact makes us state that these types of studies are extremely important for the epidemiological surveillance of this disease. Results obtained show that the HIV/AIDS/TB association in our country has evolved slowly and that its increase is not comparable to that reported in the international literature, this show the efficient of the two National Control Programs for this diseases.

Palavras-chave : Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS); Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV); susceptibility tests; Canetti’s method.