[Frequency of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in a reference hospital in Córdoba province, 1991-2003]

Tuberculosis continues to be a serious problem of public health causing nearly three million deaths per year all over the world. Despite technologic improvements in the diagnostic methods, it is not possible to control the disease in the absence of surveillance and treatment follow-up programs supervising the ending of treatments, and definitive cure of patients. The frequency of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis, and simultaneous pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis localization among patients assisted at Tránsito Cáceres de Allende Hospital during thirteen years (1991-2003), was determined. The benefit of inoculating the specimens on Stonebrink medium for the best recuperation of Mycobacterium bovis was herein observed, and the contribution of Ziehl Neelsen staining in extrapulmonary materials was tested as well. Out of 790 cases of tuberculosis diagnosed, 723 were pulmonary, and 48 were extrapulmonary localization (pleural 31, renal 7, ganglionar 5, meningeal 2, genital 1, pericardial 1 and digestive 1), and 19 patients presented both, pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Out of the 723 pulmonary cases, 9 were caused by M. bovis. All M. bovis isolates grew on Stonebrink medium, and only one grew also on Lowenstein Jensen. Smear microscopy using Ziehl Neelsen staining resulted positive in 4 extrapulmonary specimens.