Predictive value of the acid fast smear for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in respiratory specimens in a Reference Center of HIV/Aids in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In order to evaluate the predictive value of acid fast bacilii (AFB) smear for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in respiratory specimens in a setting with a high prevalence of Aids and an unknown prevalence of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), we retrospectively examined specimens cultured for mycobacteria between 1 September 1993 and 30 September 1994 and medical records of patients with positive culture in a General Hospital, Aids reference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Seventy three per cent (1517/2077) of samples were respiratory specimens and mycobacteria were recovered from 20.6% (313/1517) of these. M. tuberculosis was identified in 94.2% (295/313) and NTM in 5.8% (18/313). The yield of positive AFB smear and of positive culture was 6.1% (93/1517) and 20.6% (313/1517), respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) of AFB for M. tuberculosis was 98.4% in expectorated sputum and 96.4% in bronchoalveolar lavage. Forty four percent (130/295) of specimens with positive culture for M. tuberculosis and 66.7% (12/18) for NTM were from patients HIV positive. The conclusion was that in our study population, the PPV of AFB for M. tuberculosis in respiratory specimens was high and the prevalence of NTM was low despite the high prevalence of HIV positive.

West Tyrone Area Plan 2019 Health Impact Assessment (2008)

IPH was commissioned by Western Investing for Health to conduct a HIA of the West Tyrone Area Plan 2019. Stage 1 of the HIA was submitted to the Department of the Environment, Planning Office in 2008 and part of this work involved developing a community profile. HIA seeks to inform the decision making process in favour of health by gathering evidence to identify the potential positive and negative health impacts of a proposal. A series of recommendations are then produced to maximize the positive health impacts and mitigate the potential negative health impacts of an identified proposal. West Tyrone Community A community profile provides an overview of the population structures and particular services in an identified area. This community profile provides an overview of West Tyrone and has been developed as part of a Health Impact Assessment which is currently being conducted on the West Tyrone Area Plan. This resource provides access to up-to-date information which community and voluntary groups in the West Tyrone area will find useful to support their work. Contact: Seamus Mullen, Public Health Agency Tel: +44 (0) 2871860086 Email: seamus.mullen@hscni.org