frequency of mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among iranian patients with hiv/aids by ppd test

persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) are particularly susceptible to tuberculosis, either by latent infection reactivation or by a primary infection with rapid progression to active disease. this study was done to determine the frequency of tuberculosis infection among iranian patients with hiv/aids. a total of 262 hiv/aids patients attending all three hiv/aids health care centers of tehran, iran were enrolled in this study. a detailed history and physical examination were obtained from all hiv patients suspected of having pulmonary m. tuberculosis . a positive ppd skin test was used as a diagnostic parameter for probability of tb infection. out of 262 hiv/aids patients, a total of 63 (24%) were shown to have the tuberculosis infection based on a positive ppd skin test. of the patients with positive ppd skin test, 22 (35%) had pulmonary tuberculosis, 2 (3.2%) had extrapulmonary tuberculosis, and 39 (53%) had no evidence of m. tuberculosis infection (latent infection). also 8 (12.7%) had history of long term residence in a foreign country, 32 (50.8%) were exposed to an index case, and 9 (14.3%) had past history of pulmonary tuberculosis, while only 33.3% had clinical manifestations of tb (active disease). there was no resistant case of tuberculosis . our study showed that near 24% of iranian patients with hiv/aids were infected with m. tuberculosis . this finding denotes the need to improve the diagnostic and preventive measures, and also prompt treatment of this type of infection in the hiv infected individuals.