Abstract

LLERENA, Claudia  and  ZABALETA, Angie. Laboratory evaluation of cases of tuberculosis in health professionals. Acta Med Colomb [online]. 2014, vol.39, n.4, pp.321-326. ISSN 0120-2448.

Objective: analyze information available to the National Reference Laboratory for TB cases in health professionals. Design: case series study with retrospective information of unique formats and the results of sensitivity tests obtained in these cases. Patients: 128 cases of tuberculosis in health personnel, diagnosed between 2009-2012 at the National Laboratory Network. Measurements: the distribution of cases by sex, age, form of the disease, type of sample, presence of concomitant HIV infection, occupation, origin by territorial entity and results of susceptibility testing among new and previously treated cases were evaluated. Results: 64.8% of patients were female, aged between 20 to 40 years, median 32; 78.9% were to pulmonary forms; a TB / HIV co-infection was identified in in 7.9% of cases; occupations most affected were physicians with 21.4%, followed by nursing assistants with 8.6%. The territorial entities that evaluated more cases were Antioquia, Valle del Cauca and Bogota; a global resistance to antituberculosis drugs was identified in 7.9% in new cases and a multi-resistance in 4%; in previously treated cases the overall resistance and multi-drug resistance was 12.5%. Conclusion: the country should strengthen surveillance of resistance in this risk group making diagnosis by bacilloscopy, culture and susceptibility testing of drugs, including within the guidelines of the program the performance of rapid diagnostic tests endorsed by WHO / PAHO due especially to the presence of the disease in young people and the finding of resistance in professionals dedicated people health care.

Keywords : Mycobacterium tuberculosis; multidrug-resistance; drug resistance; pulmonary tuberculosis; healthcare worker.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )