PURPOSE The Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex comprises M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and M. africanum, and causes tuberculosis in humans and animals. Identification of Mycobacterium spp. and M. tuberculosis complex to the species level is important for practical use in microbiological laboratories, in addition to optimal treatment and public health. MATE...

Adipose tissues were shown to host Mycobacterium tuberculosis which is persisting inside mature adipocytes. It remains unknown whether this holds true for Mycobacterium canettii, a rare representative of the M. tuberculosis complex responsible for lymphatic and pulmonary tuberculosis. Here, we infected primary murine white and brown pre-adipocytes and murine 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes and mature adi...

Tuberculosis, which is caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains one of the major bacterial infections worldwide. Host defense against Mtb is mediated by a combination of innate and adaptive immune responses. In the last 15 years, the mechanisms for activation of innate immunity have been elucidated. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have been revealed to be critical for the r...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antibodies possess immunomodulatory effects during tuberculosis infection. Prior sensitization to environmental mycobacteria is known to suppress immune responses against BCG and M. tuberculosis. Mycobacteria-induced antibodies can influence events such as complement activation and phagocytosis during infectious process. In the present study role of anti-M. t...

OBJECTIVE To assess risk factors and mycobacterial agents in mycobacterial adenitis. DESIGN Cross sectional involving comparison analysis of high-risk groups. SETTING Seven hospitals in rural and semi-rural districts of Arusha. SUBJECTS The study comprised of 457 patients of clinically diagnosed mycobacterial adenitis. INTERVENTIONS Biopsy materials were cultured and identification of m...

Introduction I. Epidemiology II. Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis III. Pathogenesis of Tuberculosis IV. Clinical Manifestations of Tuberculosis A. Systemic Effects of Tuberculosis B. Pulmonary Tuberculosis C. Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis V. Diagnostic Microbiology A. Laboratory Services for Mycobacterial Diseases B. Collection of Specimens for Demonstration of Tubercle Bacilli C. Trans...

Tuberculosis (TB) is an important and potentially fatal infection in humans, and it is estimated that one-third of the world’s population is infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with the majority suffering from a latent form of infection (WHO, 2015). Despite lower TB mortality rates in high income countries, the early diagnosis and subsequent treatment of individuals with active TB remains e...

HIV-1 is recognized to increase the risk for tuberculosis even before CD4+ T cell deficiency is profound. To better understand how HIV-1 alters immunity to latent tuberculosis, we compared the magnitude and functional profile of mycobacteria-specific CD4+ T cells between HIV-uninfected and HIV-infected individuals, using flow cytometry. In HIV-1 infection, IFN-γ single positive mycobacteria-spe...

MB/BacT, BACTEC 460 TB, and Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) medium were evaluated in parallel for recovery of mycobacteria from 3,700 continuous clinical specimens in a routine laboratory. Mycobacteria were identified from 123 (3.3%) specimens. The recovery rates for all mycobacteria by the different systems were 91.0, 73.0, and 53.6% for BACTEC 460 TB, MB/BacT, and LJ medium, respectively. The recovery...

Introduction I. Epidemiology II. Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis III. Pathogenesis of Tuberculosis IV. Clinical Manifestations of Tuberculosis A. Systemic Effects of Tuberculosis B. Pulmonary Tuberculosis C. Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis V. Diagnostic Microbiology A. Laboratory Services for Mycobacterial Diseases B. Collection of Specimens for Demonstration of Tubercle Bacilli C. Trans...