Chest Radiograph Screening for Detecting Subclinical Tuberculosis in Asymptomatic Household Contacts, Peru.

The World Health Organization's end TB strategy promotes the use of symptom and chest radiograph screening for tuberculosis (TB) disease. However, asymptomatic early states of TB beyond latent TB infection and active disease can go unrecognized using current screening criteria. We conducted a longitudinal cohort study enrolling household contacts initially free of TB disease and followed them for the occurrence of incident TB over 1 year. Among 1,747 screened contacts, 27 (52%) of the 52 persons in whom TB subsequently developed during follow-up had a baseline abnormal radiograph. Of contacts without TB symptoms, persons with an abnormal radiograph were at higher risk for subsequent TB than persons with an unremarkable radiograph (adjusted hazard ratio 15.62 [95% CI 7.74-31.54]). In young adults, we found a strong linear relationship between radiograph severity and time to TB diagnosis. Our findings suggest chest radiograph screening can extend to detecting early TB states, thereby enabling timely intervention.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis y virus linfotrópico humano, una co-infección fatal / Mycobacterium tuberculosis and human lymphotropic virus, a fatal co-infection

La tuberculosis es una infección de alta incidencia en Latinoamérica. Su presentación como infección activa está determinada por factores de riesgo del hospedero. Comunicamos el caso clínico de una mujer joven que presentó una forma grave de tuberculosis pulmonar. Al explorar sus factores de riesgo se confirmó un estado de inmunosupresión profundo, causado por un linfoma de células T, asociada a una co-infección por virus linfotrópico T humano tipo 1. Se destacan los aspectos microbiológicos y de pronóstico de la co-infección de Mycobacterium tuberculosis y HTLV-1

Tuberculosis is a high-incidence infection in Latin America. Its presentation as an active infection is determined by risk factors in the host. We report the case of a young woman who presented a severe form of pulmonary tuberculosis. When exploring her risk factors, a profound state of immunosuppression was found, caused by T-cell lymphoma, associated with co-infection with human lymphotropic virus. Microbiological and prognostic aspects of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and HTLV-1 co-infection are highlighted.

Automatic bright-field smear microscopy for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

In recent decades, many studies have been published on the use of automatic smear microscopy for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Most of them deal with a preliminary step of the diagnosis, the bacilli detection, whereas sputum smear microscopy for diagnosis of pulmonary TB comprises detecting and reporting the number of bacilli found in at least 100 microscopic fields, according to the 5 grading scales (negative, scanty, 1+, 2+ and 3+) endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Pulmonary TB diagnosis in bright-field smear microscopy, however, depends upon the attention of a trained and motivated technician, while the automated TB diagnosis requires little or no interpretation by a technician. As far as we know, this work proposes the first automatic method for pulmonary TB diagnosis in bright-field smear microscopy, according to the WHO recommendations. The proposed method comprises a semantic segmentation step, using a deep neural network, followed by a filtering step aiming to reduce the number of false positives (false bacilli): color and shape filtering. In semantic segmentation, different configurations of encoders are evaluated, using depth-wise separable convolution layers and channel attention mechanism. The proposed method was evaluated with a large, robust, and annotated image dataset designed for this purpose, consisting of 250 testing sets, 50 sets for each of the 5 TB diagnostic classes. The following performance metrics were obtained for automatic pulmonary TB diagnosis by smear microscopy: mean precision of 0.894, mean recall of 0.896, and mean F1-score of 0.895.

[A rare case: Erasmus syndrome and tuberculosis]. / Un caso poco frecuente: síndrome de Erasmus y tuberculosis.

We present the case of a 35-year-old male patient, sandblaster for eight years, recently diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis and systemic sclerosis, who was admitted with dyspnea and poor general condition. Chest X-ray showed a grade I pneumothorax, and on the chest tomography he presented confluent hyperdense masses associated with a pattern of non- specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), findings compatible with complicated silicosis. Due to the advanced clinical stage, neither invasive diagnostic test nor pulmonary function test could be performed. Initial treatment included placement of a pleural drainage tube, antituberculosis treatment and chronic home oxygen. The patient was referred to the interstitial disease and rheumatology departments for multidisciplinary management, although the infectious condition contraindicated the possibility of immunosuppressive treatment. The patient eventually died under palliative care. Silica inhalation is the cause of silicosis, but it is also implicated in the development of systemic sclerosis (Erasmus syndrome) and although they share a common risk factor, it is rare to find both diseases coexisting. We present the case of a young patient in whom both diseases presented aggressively, with the aim of highlighting the importance of actively searching for expositional diseases and associated conditions.

Presentamos el caso de un hombre de 35 años, arenador durante ocho años, con diagnóstico reciente de tuberculosis pulmonar y esclerosis sistémica, que ingresó por cuadro de disnea y mal estado general. Se realizó radiografía de tórax donde se evidenció neumotórax grado I, en la tomografía de tórax, también presentó masas hiperdensas confluyentes, asociadas a un patrón de neumonía intersticial no especifica (NSIP), hallazgos compatibles con silicosis pulmonar complicada. Debido al avanzado estadio clínico, no pudieron realizarse estudios diagnósticos invasivos ni estudios de función pulmonar. Como tratamiento inicial se colocó un tubo de avenamiento pleural, se realizó tratamiento antifímico y se indicó oxigenoterapia crónica domiciliaria. Se remitió al paciente a consultorios de enfermedades intersticiales y reumatología para un manejo multidisciplinario, aunque el cuadro infeccioso contraindicó la posibilidad de un tratamiento inmunosupresor. Finalmente, el paciente falleció bajo cuidados paliativos. La inhalación de sílice es la causa de la silicosis, pero también está implicada en el desarrollo de la esclerosis sistémica (síndrome de Erasmus) y aunque comparten un factor de riesgo común, es raro encontrar ambas enfermedades coexistiendo. Presentamos el caso de un paciente joven donde ambas condiciones se presentaron de manera agresiva, con el objetivo de remarcar la importancia de la búsqueda activa de las enfermedades por exposición y sus condiciones asociadas.

Clinical, laboratory, and radiographic aspects of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and dysglycemia and tuberculosis treatment outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association of dysglycemia with clinical, laboratory, and radiographic characteristics of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), as well as with their tuberculosis treatment outcomes. METHODS: This was a longitudinal study involving 140 patients diagnosed with PTB (positive cultures for Mycobacterium tuberculosis or positive Xpert MTB/RIF results from sputum samples). Patients were evaluated at diagnosis (M0), after completing the second month of treatment (M2), and at the end of treatment (MEND). At M0, the patients were classified into three groups: normoglycemia+PTB (NGTB); pre-diabetes mellitus+PTB (PDMTB), and diabetes mellitus+PTB (DMTB), in accordance with glycated hemoglobin levels (< 5.7%, 5.7%-6.4%, and ≥ 6.5%, respectively). Treatment outcomes were classified as favorable (cure or treatment completion) and unfavorable (death, loss to follow-up, or treatment failure). RESULTS: In our sample, 76 patients (61.4%) had dysglycemia, 20 of whom (14.3%) had DM at M0. The patients with dysglycemia, in comparison with those in the NGTB group, more frequently presented with positive sputum smear microscopy (94.2% vs. 75.9%; p = 0.003); cavities (80.2% vs. 63.0%; p = 0.03); bilateral lesions (67.4% vs. 46.0%; p = 0.02); and higher median of affected thirds of the lungs (3.0 vs. 2.0; p = 0.03) on chest radiography. No significant differences regarding outcomes were found among the groups, but tuberculosis lethality was higher in the DMTB group than in the PDMTB and NGTB groups (20% vs. 2.2%). CONCLUSIONS: PTB patients with dysglycemia had laboratory and radiographic manifestations indicative of more advanced disease, and the risk of death was higher in the DMTB group. These findings reinforce the recommendation for early screening for DM in patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis in order to reduce the risk of death during treatment.

Tuberculosis pulmonar y laríngea: una forma poco frecuente de presentación en la edad pediátrica / Pulmonary and laryngeal tuberculosis: a rare presentation in pediatrics / Tuberculose pulmonar e laríngica: uma apresentação pouco frequente na idade pediátrica

Introducción: la tuberculosis (TB) es una enfermedad infectocontagiosa granulomatosa crónica, producida por Mycobacterium tuberculosis. En Uruguay se ha notificado un aumento en el número de casos, con una incidencia reportada en 2017 de 28,6/100.000 habitantes, siendo de 6,67/100.000 en menores de 15 años. La tuberculosis laríngea es una forma poco frecuente y evolucionada de tuberculosis, que suele manifestarse con disfonía crónica. Su diagnóstico requiere un alto índice de sospecha. Objetivo: describir un caso clínico de presentación poco frecuente en la edad pediátrica. Caso clínico: adolescente de 13 años, sana, vacunas vigentes, con antecedentes de conductas sexuales activas y papilomatosis laríngea diagnosticada por laringoscopía directa como causa de disfonía crónica. Consulta en emergencia por dolor abdominal, constatándose al examen clínico adelgazamiento asociado a síntomas respiratorios y síndrome tóxico bacilar asociado a disfonía crónica de cuatro meses de evolución, por lo cual se plantea tuberculosis laríngea e ingresa para estudio. Niega contacto de tuberculosis. En la radiografía de tórax se constata lesión cavernosa en vértice pulmonar izquierdo. Las baciloscopías de esputo fueron positivas (directo y cultivo) confirmando el planteo de TB pulmonar y laríngea. Se realizó tratamiento antituberculoso supervisado con excelente evolución posterior. Conclusiones: la tuberculosis es una enfermedad reemergente en nuestro país, que requiere un alto índice de sospecha. Su diagnóstico sigue siendo un desafío para los pediatras ya que la confirmación diagnóstica no siempre es posible. En este caso clínico la sospecha clínica frente a una disfonía crónica asociada a síntomas respiratorios fue fundamental para establecer el diagnóstico, a pesar de no contar con nexo epidemiológico.

Introduction: tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious, chronic granulomatous disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. An increase in the number of cases has been reported in Uruguay, with an incidence reported in 2017 of 28.6/100,000 inhabitants, being 6.67/100,000 in children under 15 years of age. Laryngeal tuberculosis is a rare and evolved form of tuberculosis, which usually shows chronic dysphonia, which requires high levels of suspicion. Objective: to describe a clinical case with a rare presentation in pediatric age. Clinical case: 13-year-old female adolescent, healthy, fully vaccinated, with a history of active sexual behaviors and laryngeal papillomatosis diagnosed by direct laryngoscopy as a cause of chronic dysphonia. The emergency consultation was caused by abdominal pain, confirming the clinical examination weight loss associated with respiratory symptoms and bacillary toxic syndrome associated with chronic dysphonia of four months of evolution, for which laryngeal tuberculosis was considered and she was admitted for screening. She denies having been in contact with tuberculosis. The chest X-ray revealed a cavernous lesion in the left pulmonary apex and sputum smears were positive (direct and culture), confirming the suggestion of pulmonary and laryngeal TB. Supervised anti-tuberculosis treatment was performed with excellent subsequent evolution. Conclusions: tuberculosis is a re-emerging disease in our country, which requires a high level of suspicion. Its diagnosis remains a challenge for pediatricians since diagnostic confirmation is not always possible. In this clinical case, clinical suspicion of chronic dysphonia associated with respiratory symptoms were key factors to establish the diagnosis, despite not having a clear epidemiological link.

Introdução: a tuberculose (TB) é uma doença infecciosa granulomatosa crônica causada pelo Mycobacterium tuberculosis. No Uruguai, houve aumento do número de casos notificados, com uma incidência notificada em 2017 de 28,6/100.000 habitantes, sendo 6,67/100.000 casos de menores de 15 anos. A tuberculose laríngea é uma forma rara e evoluída de tuberculose, que geralmente se manifesta com disfonia crônica, exigindo alto índice de suspeita. Objetivo: descrever um caso clínico de apresentação pouco frequente em idade pediátrica. Caso clínico: menina adolescente de 13 anos, saudável, totalmente vacinada, com história de comportamentos sexuais ativos e papilomatose laríngea diagnosticada por laringoscopia direta como causa de disfonia crônica. Consulta de urgência por dor abdominal, comprovando emagrecimento associado a sintomas respiratórios e síndrome bacilar tóxica associada a disfonia crônica de quatro meses de evolução, para a qual foi considerada tuberculose laríngea e a paciente foi internada para estudo. Ele nega contato com tuberculose. A radiografia de tórax revelou lesão cavernosa em ápice pulmonar esquerdo e as baciloscopias de escarro foram positivas (direta e cultura) confirmando a sugestão de TB pulmonar e laríngea. O tratamento antituberculose supervisionado foi realizado com excelente evolução subsequente. Conclusões: a tuberculose é uma doença reemergente em Uruguai e requer alto índice de suspeita. Seu diagnóstico permanece um desafio para o pediatra, pois a confirmação diagnóstica nem sempre é possível. Neste caso clínico, a suspeita clínica de disfonia crônica associada a sintomas respiratórios foi fundamental para o estabelecimento do diagnóstico, apesar de não ter vínculo epidemiológico.

Reproducibility of a protocol for standardized reading of chest X-rays of children household contact of patients with tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: The interpretation of the chest radiograph may vary because it depends on the reader and due to the non-specificity of findings in tuberculosis (TB). We aim to assess the reproducibility of a standardized chest radiograph reading protocol in contacts of patients with pulmonary TB under the 5 years of age. METHODS: Descriptive, cross-sectional study with children under the age of five, household contacts of patients with confirmed pulmonary TB from Medellín, Bello and Itagüí (Colombia) between Jan-01-2015 and May-31-2016. Standardized reading protocol: two radiologists, blinded independent reading, use of template (Dr. Andronikou design) in case of disagreement a third reading was performed. Kappa coefficient for intra and inter observer agreement, and prevalence ratio were estimated of sociodemographic characteristics, TB exposure and interpretation of chest X-ray. RESULTS: From 278 children, standardized reading found 255 (91.7%) normal X-rays, 10 (3.6%) consistent with TB, and 13 (4.7%) other alterations. Global agreement was 91.3% (Kappa = 0.51). Inter-observer agreement between readers 1-2 was 90.0% (Kappa = 0.59) and 1-3 93.2% (Kappa = 0.59). Intra-observer agreement for reader 1 was 95.5% (Kappa = 0.86), 2 84.0% (Kappa = 0.51), and 3 94.7% (Kappa = 0.68). Greater inter-observer disagreement was between readers 1-2 for soft tissue density suggestive of adenopathy (4.6%), airspace opacification (1.17%) and pleural effusion (0.58%); between readers 1-3 for soft tissue density suggestive of adenopathy (4.2%), opacification of airspace (2.5%) and cavities (0.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Chest radiographs are an affordable tool that contributes to the diagnosis of TB, so having a standardized reading protocol showed good agreement and improves the reproducibility of radiograph interpretation.

Analysis and comparison of image processing and artificial intelligence algorithms to detect AFB in pulmonary tuberculosis images.

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide caused by an infection. TB is curable with an adequate diagnosis, normally performed through bacilloscopies. Automate TB diagnosis implies bacilli detection and counting usually based on smear images processing and artificial intelligence. Works reported in the literature usually consider images with similar coloring characteristics, which are difficult to obtain due to the Ziehl - Neelsen staining method variations (excess or deficiency of coloration), provoking errors in the bacilli segmentation. This paper presents an image preprocessing technique, based on simple, fast and well-known processing techniques, to improve and standardize the contrast in the Acid-Fast Bacilli (AFB) images used to diagnose TB; these techniques are used previously to the segmentation stage to obtain accurate results. The results are validated with and without the preprocessing stage by the Jaccard index, pixel detection accuracy and UAC obtained in an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and a Bayesian classifier with Gaussian mixture model (GMM). Obtained results indicate that the proposed approach can be applied to automate the Tuberculosis diagnostic.

Tuberculosis pulmonar y extrapulmonar en niños / Pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in children

La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) informa que ocurren 1.1 millones de casos de tuberculosis (TBC) en niños <15 años. En Chile se observa un aumento de casos en el tiempo. La pandemia por SARS-Cov2 ha implicado una disminución de la pesquisa y un retardo de la atención y diagnóstico de TBC. Se presenta dos casos clínicos de tuberculosis en adolescentes. El primero corresponde a un adolescente con una tuberculosis pulmonar de difícil y tardío diagnóstico, habiéndose descartado inicialmente TBC por estudio molecular y PPD no reactivo. El segundo caso corresponde a un adolescente con una tuberculosis pulmonar y extrapulmonar de diagnóstico tardío, de 8 meses de evolución, posterior a un cuadro leve de Covid.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 1.1 million cases of tuberculosis (TB) occur in children <15 years of age. In Chile, an increase in cases is observed over time. The SARS-Cov2 pandemic has led to a decrease in screening and a delay in care and diagnosis of TB. Two clinical cases of tuberculosis in adolescents are presented. The first corresponds to an adolescent with TB of difficult and late diagnosis, having initially ruled out TB by molecular study and non-reactive PPD. The second case corresponds to an adolescent with pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis of late diagnosis, of 8 months of evolution, after a mild respiratory infection of Covid.

Rastreio radiológico para tuberculose em uma penitenciária do sul do Brasil / Radiological screening for tuberculosis in a prison in the south of Brazil

Introdução: Conhecer o perfil da população privada de liberdade da Penitenciária Modulada de Osório (PMO), do ponto de vista radiológico e estimar a prevalência da tuberculose ativa no presídio.Métodos: Foi realizada análise retrospectiva de 677 radiografias de tórax obtidas para rastreio de tuberculose e de dados da ficha de atendimento do setor de Radiologia no período de julho a outubro de 2019.Resultados: Foram detectadas 150 radiografias alteradas, o que representa 22% dos 677 exames. Dos 150 exames alterados, 109 (16% do total e 72% dos alterados) apresentavam lesões com características de doença granulomatosa. Dos 677 pacientes, 11,5% referiram tratamento atual ou prévio para tuberculose e estes representam 38% dos casos com radiografias alteradas. Foram detectados 50 pacientes sem história prévia de tuberculose com lesões de aspecto muito provavelmente devido a tuberculose com características de doença ativa (7,3% do total), os quais foram encaminhados para investigação como casos novos. Em relação ao questionário aplicado, não foi observada diferença significativa entre os pacientes que referiam ou negavam tosse entre os com exames normais e alterados.Conclusões: Os indivíduos privados de liberdade apresentaram alta prevalência de alterações radiológicas com aspecto sugestivo de doença granulomatosa. Estes achados permitem inferir que na Penitenciária Modulada de Osório há elevada prevalência de tuberculose, provavelmente em níveis semelhantes a outras casas prisionais do Brasil.

Introduction: To determine the radiologic profile of 'the prisoners at Osório Modular Prison and estimate the prevalence of active tuberculosis in the institution.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 677 chest radiographs obtained for tuberculosis screening and data from the medical records of prisoners seen at the Radiology Department from July to October 2019.Results: Of 677 radiographs, 150 (22%) showed abnormalities. Of these, 109 (16% of total or 72% of abnormal radiographs) showed lesions characteristic of granulomatous disease. Of all 677 patients, 11.5% reported current or previous treatment of tuberculosis, accounting for 38% of all abnormal radiographs. Fifty patients with no previous history of tuberculosis had lesions that were most likely due to active tuberculosis (7.3% of total), and were referred for further investigation as new cases. The responses to the questionnaire revealed no significant difference between patients who reported or denied coughing when comparing those with normal vs abnormal radiographs.Conclusions: Individuals deprived of liberty had a high prevalence of radiologic abnormalities suggestive of granulomatous disease. These findings allow us to infer that there is a high prevalence of tuberculosis at Osório Modular Prison, probably at levels comparable to those of other prison facilities in Brazil.

MRI findings on extrapulmonary tuberculosis in a pediatric patient / [Hallazgos de tuberculosis extrapulmonar en imágenes de resonancia magnética en una paciente pediátrica].

Pulmonary tuberculosis is the most common in children and its extrapulmonary manifestations are present in 30% to 40% of cases. We present the case of an indigenous girl with disseminated tuberculosis: pulmonary, brain, medullary, and musculoskeletal with substantial neurodevelopmental sequelae. This case exemplifies the spectrum of pediatric extrapulmonary tuberculosis in endemic developing countries. Furthermore, it shows the severity of highly disabling neurological complications and stresses the importance of radiological imaging in guiding diagnostic suspicion of extrapulmonary involvement.

La tuberculosis pulmonar es la más común en niños y su forma extrapulmonar corresponde aproximadamente a 30 a 40 % de los casos. Se presenta el caso de una niña indígena con tuberculosis diseminada: pulmonar, cerebral, medular y musculoesquelética, con importantes secuelas en el neurodesarrollo. Este caso ilustra el espectro de la tuberculosis extrapulmonar pediátrica en países endémicos en desarrollo. Además, evidencia la gravedad de las complicaciones neurológicas causantes de grave discapacidad y resalta el valor de las imágenes radiológicas para orientar la sospecha diagnóstica de compromiso extrapulmonar.

Identifying barriers and facilitators to implementation of community-based tuberculosis active case finding with mobile X-ray units in Lima, Peru: a RE-AIM evaluation.

OBJECTIVES: Identify barriers and facilitators to integrating community tuberculosis screening with mobile X-ray units into a health system. METHODS: Reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance evaluation. SETTING: 3-district region of Lima, Peru. PARTICIPANTS: 63 899 people attended the mobile units from 7 February 2019 to 6 February 2020. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were screened by chest radiography, which was scored for abnormality by computer-aided detection. People with abnormal X-rays were evaluated clinically and by GeneXpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) sputum testing. People diagnosed with tuberculosis at the mobile unit were accompanied to health facilities for treatment initiation. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Reach was defined as the percentage of the population of the three-district region that attended the mobile units. Effectiveness was defined as the change in tuberculosis case notifications over a historical baseline. Key implementation fidelity indicators were the percentages of people who had chest radiography performed, were evaluated clinically, had sputum samples collected, had valid Xpert results and initiated treatment. RESULTS: The intervention reached 6% of the target population and was associated with an 11% (95% CI 6 to 16) increase in quarterly case notifications, adjusting for the increasing trend in notifications over the previous 3 years. Implementation indicators for screening, sputum collection and Xpert testing procedures all exceeded 85%. Only 82% of people diagnosed with tuberculosis at the mobile units received treatment; people with negative or trace Xpert results were less likely to receive treatment. Suboptimal treatment initiation was driven by health facility doctors' lack of familiarity with Xpert and lack of confidence in diagnoses made at the mobile unit. CONCLUSION: Mobile X-ray units were a feasible and effective strategy to extend tuberculosis diagnostic services into communities and improve early case detection. Effective deployment however requires advance coordination among stakeholders and targeted provider training to ensure that people diagnosed with tuberculosis by new modalities receive prompt treatment.

Tuberculosis pulmonar asociada a Infliximab: a propósito del primer caso reportado en Cuba / Infliximab-associated pulmonary tuberculosis: regarding the first case reported in Cuba

La terapia con fármacos antagonistas del factor de necrosis tumoral alfa ha sido beneficiosa en el tratamiento de varias enfermedades como las del tejido conectivo e inflamatorias del intestino, pero no está exenta de riesgos. Las principales complicaciones de estas drogas inmunosupresoras son las infecciones, y la tuberculosis pulmonar es una de las principales afecciones, que se pueden observar en los pacientes con este tipo de tratamiento.Se presentó una mujer de 31 años, atendida en el Hospital Clínico Quirúrgico Hermanos Ameijeiras, La Habana, Cuba, con antecedentes de colitis ulcerativa, que hace 3 meses recibe terapia con Infliximab. Acude al hospital por referir 4 días previos al ingreso, fiebre de 390 C dos veces al día, acompañándose de cefalea, pérdida del apetito y dolor en la región perineal. Se le realizó radiografía de tórax, donde se describe radiopacidad heterogénea que va desde el cuerno superior del hilio derecho hasta planos axilares, en la tomografía axial de tórax reportan consolidación en segmento anterior del lóbulo superior derecho con presencia de broncograma aéreo y en el lavado bronquial microbiológico para bacilos ácido-alcohol resistentes se informó codificación 8, positivo a Mycobacterium tuberculosis. El diagnóstico preciso de tuberculosis relacionada con el uso de fármacos antagonistas del factor de necrosis tumoral alfa requiere un alto índice de sospecha y una investigación detallada. Existe un alto grado de complejidad diagnóstica, por la existencia de un amplio espectro clínico y la necesidad de excluir otras enfermedades.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist drug therapy has been beneficial in the treatment of several diseases such as connective tissue and inflammatory bowel diseases, but it is not without risks. The main complications of these immunosuppressive drugs are infections, and pulmonary tuberculosis is one of the main conditions, which can be observed in patients with this type of treatment. A 31-year-old woman, treated at the Hermanos Ameijeiras Clinical Surgical Hospital, Havana, Cuba, with a history of ulcerative colitis, who has been receiving Infliximab therapy for 3 months, presented. He went to the hospital for referring 4 days prior to admission, a fever of 390 C twice a day, accompanied by headache, loss of appetite and pain in the perineal region. A chest X-ray was performed, which described heterogeneous radiopacity that goes from the upper horn of the right hilum to axillary planes, in the chest axial tomography they report consolidation in the anterior segment of the right upper lobe with the presence of air bronchogram and in the bronchial lavage microbiological for acid-fast bacilli coding 8, positive for mycobacterium tuberculosis was reported. Accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis related to the use of tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist drugs requires a high index of suspicion and detailed investigation. There is a high degree of diagnostic complexity, due to the existence of a wide clinical spectrum and the need to exclude other diseases.

Amigdalitis prolongada con pobre respuesta al manejo, raro caso de tuberculosis extrapulmonar / Prolonged tonsilitis with poor response to therapy: a rare case of extrapulmonary tuberculosis

La tuberculosis es la primera causa de mortalidad infectocontagiosa a nivel mundial. La tuberculosis pulmonar corresponde a la presentación más frecuente, sin embargo, el 15 % de los casos cursan con infección extrapulmonar, siendo raro el compromiso amigdalino. Este reporte de caso describe a un paciente de 39 años con odinofagia recurrente secundaria a amigdalitis por Mycobacterium tuberculosis, un raro caso de tuberculosis extrapulmonar. La amigdalitis es una infección leve y frecuente de la vía aérea superior, que responde adecuadamente al manejo antibiótico; sin embargo, cuadros recurrentes y prolongados, manifestaciones atípicas o pobre respuesta a la antibioticoterapia son características que obligan a la búsqueda de diagnósticos diferenciales, lo que lleva a considerar la presencia de Mycobacterium tuberculosis como agente etiológico, especialmente en países con alto índice de tuberculosis como Colombia

Tuberculosis is the leading cause of infectious mortality worldwide. The pulmonary one corresponds to the most frequent presentation, however up to 15% of tuberculosis cases present extrapulmonary involvement, tonsillar tuberculosis being rare. The following is a case report of a 39-year-old patient with recurrent odynophagia secondary to Mycobacterium tuberculosis tonsillitis, a rare form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Tonsillitis is a benign and extremely common infection of the upper airway. Such patients benefit from systemic antibiotics, although, recurrent episodes, prolonged odynophagia, atypical manifestations, or poor response to antimicrobial therapy forces consideration of diagnostic possibilities other than the obvious, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the etiological agent, especially in countries with the highest rates of tuberculosis.

Multiple tuberculomas in an immunocompetent patient and their diagnostic challenge in a high prevalence country: Case report and literature review.

CONTEXT: Intracranial tuberculomas are rare yet lethal forms of tuberculosis. Diagnosis is often difficult because of its nonspecific symptoms and radiological findings. AIM: This study aims to perform a literature review of multiple tuberculomas to improve disease recognition and management in immunocompetent patients along with presenting a case report on the topic. DATA SOURCES: Scopus, LILACS, Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE. STUDY SELECTION: Case reports and case series up to December 2018 in English, Spanish, and Portuguese focusing on intracranial tuberculomas in adult and pediatric immunocompetent patients. Data on presentation, diagnostic workup, and treatment was analyzed. DATA EXTRACTION: Cochrane Collaboration/Cochrane Handbook and PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS: Twenty reports involving 21 patients were included. Most patients were male (57.14%). The average age at diagnosis was 26.9 ± 14.9 years. Headache was the most common presenting symptom (52.4%; 11/21), followed by motor weakness (47.6%; 10/21) and vomiting (23.8%; 5/21). MRI was the most used image technique (17/21). Most lesions occurring in the cerebral hemispheres (16/21); we found five or more lesions in 66.6% (14/21) of the patients. The majority treated with anti-tuberculous drugs resulted in a favorable outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Immunocompetent patients living in TB endemic areas whose clinical evaluation and neuroimaging findings are compatible with tuberculoma should undergo anti-tubercular treatment despite a lack of bacteriological confirmation.

Lung Ultrasound Findings Compared with Chest X-Ray Findings in Known Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Lima, Peru.

Lung ultrasound (LUS) is highly portable and has excellent diagnostic accuracy for pneumonia compared with conventional radiography, but the literature on its use in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is limited. This study characterized LUS lesions in patients with PTB and compared them with chest X-ray (CXR) findings. Adult patients in Lima, Peru, with PTB were recruited within 1 week of starting antituberculosis treatment. Comprehensive LUS was performed in all patients at enrollment and assessed for consolidation, small subpleural consolidation (SPC, hypothesized to be a marker of CXR consolidation), cavity, pleural effusion, pathologic B-lines, and miliary pattern. Patient CXRs were digitized and interpreted by a board-certified radiologist. Fifty-one patients were included in the final analysis. Lung ultrasound detected either consolidation or SPC in 96.1% of participants. No significant difference was found between the LUS detection of a composite of consolidation or SPC, and CXR detection of consolidation (96.1% versus 98%, P > 0.99). The proportion of patients with cavity detected by LUS was significantly lower than that detected by CXR (5.9% versus 51%, P < 0.001). Overall, LUS detection of consolidation or SPC may be a sensitive marker for diagnosis of PTB. Lung ultrasound demonstrated poor ability to detect radiographically identified cavity, although previous studies suggest SPC could add specificity for the diagnosis of PTB. Based on its portability and evidence base for diagnosing other pulmonary diseases, LUS may have a role in screening and diagnosis of PTB in areas without ready access to CXR. Further studies should evaluate its diagnostic accuracy in patients with and without PTB.