Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a HIV-1-infected population from Southeastern Brazil in the HAART era

To evaluate retrospectively the microbiological profile of Mycobacterium species isolated from HIV-infected patients attending the HIV/TB reference health care units in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil.

Retrospective evaluation of all HIV-1 positive patients whose IAL-SJRP laboratorial analysis was positive for Mycobacterium sp. after diagnosis of HIV Infection, from January 2000 to December 2006.

Of 198 patients, acid-fast staining detected mycobacteria early in 41%. Culture revealed 52.5% to be infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT). 42.4% had non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and 5.1% had MT/NTM positive cultures. Eleven per cent of MT strains were resistant to at least one of the antimycobacterial drugs and 3.1% were multidrug resistant. 39.4% of isolated mycobacteria were NTM species.

Our data may serve as a starting point for further comparisons with other Brazilian regions and other developing countries. The data may provide important clues to the future understanding, prevention and control of such co-infections around the world.