Ronaldo Rodrigues da Costa

Profile and follow-up of patients with tuberculosis in a priority city in Brazil

OBJECTIVE To analyze the cases of tuberculosis and the impact of direct follow-up on the assessment of treatment outcomes. METHODS This open prospective cohort study evaluated 504 cases of tuberculosis reported in the Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN – Notifiable Diseases Information System) in Juiz de Fora, MG, Southeastern Brazil, between 2008 and 2009. The incidence of treatment outcomes was compared between a group of patients diagnosed with tuberculosis and directly followed up by monthly consultations during return visits (287) and a patient group for which the information was indirectly collected (217) through the city’s surveillance system. The Chi-square test was used to compare the percentages, with a significance level of 0.05. The relative risk (RR) was used to evaluate the differences in the incidence rate of each type of treatment outcome between the two groups. RESULTS Of the outcomes directly and indirectly evaluated, 18.5% and 3.2% corresponded to treatment default and 3.8% and 0.5% corresponded to treatment failure, respectively. The incidence of treatment default and failure was higher in the group with direct follow-up (p < 0.05) (RR = 5.72, 95%CI 2.65;12.34, and RR = 8.31, 95%CI 1.08;63.92, respectively). CONCLUSIONS A higher incidence of treatment default and failure was observed in the directly followed up group, and most of these cases were neglected by the disease reporting system. Therefore, effective measures are needed to improve the control of tuberculosis and data quality.

Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex based on amplification and sequencing of the oxyR pseudogene from stored Ziehl-Neelsen-stained sputum smears in Brazil

A cross-sectional analysis of stored Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN)-stained sputum smear slides (SSS) obtained from two public tuberculosis referral laboratories located in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, was carried out to distinguish Mycobacterium bovis from other members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC). A two-step approach was used to distinguish M. bovis from other members of MTC: (i) oxyR pseudogene amplification to detect MTC and, subsequently, (ii) allele-specific sequencing based on the polymorphism at position 285 of this gene. The oxyR pseudogene was successfully amplified in 100 of 177 (56.5%) SSS available from 99 individuals. No molecular profile of M. bovis was found. Multivariate analysis indicated that acid-fast bacilli (AFB) results and the source laboratory were associated (p < 0.05) with oxyR pseudogene amplification. SSS that were AFB++ SSS showed more oxyR pseudogene amplification than those with AFB0, possibly due to the amount of DNA. One of the two source laboratories presented a greater chance of oxyR pseudogene amplification, suggesting that differences in sputum conservation between laboratories could have influenced the preservation of DNA. This study provides evidence that stored ZN-SSS can be used for the molecular detection of MTC.

Risk factors for human Mycobacterium bovis infections in an urban area of Brazil

BACKGROUND The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified human zoonotic tuberculosis (TB) due to Mycobacterium bovis as a neglected issue in the developing world. In a recent cross-sectional study in Brazil, three of 189 TB patients presented with a coinfection of M. bovis and M. tuberculosis and were selected as cases for this study. OBJECTIVE The aim was to evaluate risk factors (RF) for zoonotic TB in an urban area of Brazil in order to guide preventive programmes. METHODS A matched case-control study was carried out nested within a cross-sectional study. For each of the three cases, 14 age- and sex-matched controls (TB due to M. tuberculosis) were selected. FINDINGS Zoonotic potential exposures (ZE) and extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) were independently associated with zoonotic TB in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS ZE by occupation and consumption of raw milk and derivative products that place individuals in direct and indirect contact with animals and their excretions/secretions increase the risk for zoonotic TB in Brazil, especially among those with EPTB. Therefore, measures such as efficient control of bovine TB, distribution of pasteurised milk and its derivative products, and the diagnosis and monitoring of zoonotic TB in humans are essential steps, especially in developing countries where bovine TB is enzootic, and further studies are necessary.

Profile of resistance to antituberculosis drugs in a reference hospital in the State of Minas

Tuberculosis is a serious, infectiousand transmissible disease of great relevance to global public health. The ability to acquire resistance to antimicrobials of choice for therapy has hampered the treatment of TB patients. The aim of this study was to verify in a referral hospital in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, the resistance profile of mycobacteria isolated from patients with tuberculosis from the modification of the treatment regimen 2009. A retrospective analysis was performed on 45 positive cultures from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and susceptibility testing from January 2012 to May 2014. Of the 45 positive cultures from were identified M. tuberculosis: 30 (67%) were sensitive to all drugs tested (streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide). The monorresistente 3 (7%), with resistance to: streptomycin (2.33%), isoniazid (2.33%) and rifampicin (2.33%). The that presented multidrug resistance accounted for 10 cases (22%), with resistance: isoniazid + rifampicin (13.2%), rifampicin + isoniazid + streptomycin (2.2%), rifampicin + isoniazid + ethambutol (4.4%), isoniazid + rifampicin + streptomycin + ethambutol (2.2%). Finally, the matched polirresistências 2 (4%) with resistance: Profile of resistance to antituberculosis drugs in a reference hospital in the State of Minas Nilma Maria José de Araújo Mendes1, Ronaldo Rodrigues da Costa2, Anna Marcella Neves Dias3, Camila Balbino Lopes4, Daniele Maria Knupp de Souza5, Marcio Roberto Silva6, Harleson Lopes de Mesquita7 Perfil de resistência a fármacos antituberculose em um hospital de referência do Estado de Minas Gerais DOI: 10.5935/2238-3182.20140072

Occurrence of Hepatitis C among patients attended mycobacteriosis in reference centers of Juiz de Fora

Objective: This study evaluates the occurrence of hepatitis C in patients with mycobacteriosi treated at two centers of Juiz de Fora and compare some socio-demographic, economic, clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the study population in relation to the situation for Hepatitis C. Material and Methods: This is a descriptive study using secondary data from a larger project. For this study, patients were enrolled with suspected tuberculosis, from March 2008 to February 2010 Result: The sample consisted of 224 patients with tuberculosis, and seven of them had a history of hepatitis C (3.1%), 6 were male. Of the 224, 150 were male. 7 HCV carriers had a mean age of 38 years, low education level and monthly income below the poverty level (95.8%) corresponding to 42.9% of patients with hepatitis C. Some clinical epidemiological characteristics analyzed showed an association positive with p <0.05, an expanding association HCV - drug users (p <0.0001) and HCV - HIV. (p <0.01) Conclusion: Knowing the prevalence of individuals coinfected with TB / HCV / HIV, their socio-demo graphic, behavioral, immunological and clinical characteristics are fundamental for planning public health measures, able to offer these individuals better treatments as well as a policy development prevention in order to reduce the rates of these co-infections worldwide.

Tuberculosis: epidemiological profile in a reference hospital in the treatment of disease

Objective: This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to determine the epidemiological, clinical and diagnosis of patients with mycobacteria between March 2008 and February 2010, in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais State. Methods: Data collection was performed at the medical records and patients. Results: In 175 cases, 170 with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, two M. tuberculosis/M. avium complex, two M. avium complex and one M. bovis/M. tuberculosis. 75.4% of cases in male patients, meian age 40 years, 14.3% in HIV positive, 32% with low family income and poor housing. Pulmonary disease occurred in 94.9%. 45.1% were cured, 24.0% abandoned the treatment and 9.7% died. Supervision of treatment occurred in 60% of cases and 56% of cases was tested for HIV. 9.6% of paucibacillary specimens and 55.5% of extrapulmonary TB the diagnosis was possible only by culture. Conclusion: Was a clear predominance of the disease in male patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. The treatment was partially observed and several pacients with no known diagnosis of HIV. The use of mycobacterial culture was an important diagnostic tool, complementary to smear.

Consumption of liquid milk and factors associated with it in neighboring communities rural-urban

Introduction: The milk is a source of several important nutrients for the human being, but the consumption of dairy products in Brazil is still low. Objective: Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate the quantity of consumption of liquid milk and evaluate the factors associated with it in five regions neighboring rural-urban city of Juiz de Fora, MG. Material and Method: A multivariate model was constructed to estimate the quantities of consumption of liquid milk and to evaluate the factors associated with it. Results: The data were obtained by means of interview. The variable local of residence showed significant association with the consumption of milk, being that the interviewees who lived in towns of Monte Verde (p=0.058), Humaitá (p=0.023) and Torreões (p=0.012), had higher consumption of milk than those who lived in the locality of Filgueiras. Age was negatively associated (p< 0.001) with the consumption of milk. Per capita income had a direct association (p< 0.001), showing an increase Consumption of liquid milk and factors associated with it in neighboring communities rural-urban Marcio Roberto Silva1, Ronaldo Rodrigues da Costa2, Guilherme Nunes de Souza3, Letícia Scafutto de Faria4, Gabriele Dantas Sampedro4 Fatores associados ao consumo de leite fluido em comunidades limítrofes rural-urbanas DOI: 10.5935/2238-3182.20140070