Avaliaçäo de modificaçöes na rotina laboratorial do líquido pleural no rendimento diagnóstico de tuberculose pleural / Evaluation of laboratory routine of pleural fluid in diagnostic yield for pleural tuberculosis

Foi comparado o rendimento diagnóstico de tuberculose obtido em estudo propesctivo do líquido pleural de 80 pacientes e em análise retrospectiva de 105 prontuários médicos. Na série prospectiva foi introduzido o controle de qualidade, quando atençäo especial foi dada à colheita, transporte e processamento (precedido ou näo de descontaminaçäo) do líquido pleural. Na série retrospectiva utilizou-se a rotina do Serviço de Bacteriologia da Tuberculose, que consistia em descontaminaçäo de todos os materiais. Na abordagem prospectiva, 97 por cento dos pacientes tiveram seu diagnóstico confirmado. Este foi obtido histopatologicamente em 87 por cento e bacteriologicamente em 56 por cento dos casos. No estudo retrospectivo, a confirmaçäo diagnóstica ocorreu em 94 por cento dos casos. Na série prospectiva, a sensibilidade da cultura no líquido pleural näo precedida de descontaminaçäo (36 por cento) foi superior àquela observada no material submetido a descontaminaçäo (29 por cento) (p = 0,02). O rendimento da cultura do líquido pleural submetido a descontaminaçäo foi de 29 por cento e o oservado no exame bacteriológico do fragmento pleural, de 42 por cento (p < 0,02). Entretanto, na ausência de descontaminaçäo, o rendimento bacteriológico do líquido pleural (36 por cento) e o do fragmento pleural (42 por cento) foram semelhantes (p = 0,22). O controle de qualidade introduzido na série prospectiva aumentou o rendimento da cultura do líquido pleural de 26 por cento para 29 por cento.

Transmission of tuberculosis to close contacts of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) has emerged as a major public health problem worldwide. To determine the incidence and risk factors associated with tuberculosis among contacts of MDRTB index cases, we studied human immunodeficiency virus-seronegative close contacts of 64 culture-confirmed MDRTB patients in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Between March 1988 and July 1992, tuberculosis developed in 17 (7.8%) of 218 previously healthy close contacts of 64 MDRTB index cases (1.6 cases per 1,000-person-months of contact). Among strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from 13 contacts of 12 index cases, six (46%) had susceptibility patterns identical to those of their index cases, four (31%) had different patterns of resistance, and three (23%) were susceptible to all drugs. Tuberculosis developed more frequently in male contacts (p < 0.05), persons > or = 15 yr of age (p < 0.05), nonwhites (p < 0.001), and persons not previously vaccinated with bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) (p < 0.05). The association of BCG vaccination with decreased risk of disease was significant even when this variable was controlled (by Cox's regression analysis) for age, sex, race, purified protein derivative (PPD) status, and isoniazid prophylaxis. BCG vaccination appears to offer protection against tuberculosis during prolonged exposures to persons with MDRTB, which identifies a novel and specific indication of BCG use.

IgM immunoglobulins reacting with the phenolic glycolipid-1 antigen from Mycobacterium leprae in sera of leprosy patients and their contacts

For the first time in Brazil it was investigated the occurrence of IgM anti-PGL-1 in the sera of household contacts of leprozy patients using the ELISA methodology. The sera of the multipatients. It was observed a high subclinical infection incidence among household contacts (19.4%). The percentage of leprosy development was 5% (1/21) among the seropositive contact group. This finding suggests that serology could be useful as prognostic test, but for better definition is necessary to tet a population from endemic area for long period time

IgM immunoglobulins reacting with the phenolic glycolipid-1 antigen from Mycobacterium leprae in sera of leprosy patients and their contacts.

For the first time in Brazil it was investigated the occurrence of IgM anti-PGL-1 in the sera of household contacts of leprosy patients using the ELISA methodology. The sera of the multibacillary patients showed significantly more immuno-reactivity than from the paucibacillary patients. It was observed a high subclinical infection incidence among household contacts (19.4%). The percentage of leprosy development was 5% (1/21) among the seropositive contact group. This finding suggests that serology could be useful as prognostic test, but for better definition is necessary to test a population from endemic area for long period time.