Serum Vitamin D Level as a Risk Factor for Female Genital Tuberculosis (FGTB)

Introduction

Vitamin D is now known to be essential to Mycobacterium tuberculosis containment and killing through activation of 25-hydroxyvitamin-D receptors (VDRs) present on all immune cells or obtained from dietary food stuffs as either vitamin D3 or vegetable vitamin D2 (also known as ergocalciferol).

Aim

To evaluate the association of serum vitamin D level between the Female Genital Tuberculosis (FGTB) cases and healthy controls.

Materials and Methods

Total 120 cases and 120 controls enrolled for the study following inclusion and exclusion criteria. Detailed clinical history was taken from each subjects. Total of 3 ml of the blood was collected in EDTA vial from each subject (case and control). Quantification of serum vitamin D level was measured by active human vitamin D ELISA kit using an ELISA reader. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21.0. A p-value <0.05 was considered as significant.

Results

A total of 120 confirmed FGTB cases and 120 healthy control enrolled for study. Out of 120 women 97.5%, 10.0%, 3.3%, 3.3% were detected positive for M. tuberculosis respectively. Comparing the mean demographic value of age and BMI were (29.03±3.127, 28.03±3.00) and (22.92±3.33, 24.15±3.97) respectively with the p=0.012* and p=0.010* found to be significant among cases and controls. The mean serum vitamin D level was 14.96±8.81 in cases and 23.00±8.83 in controls with p-value<0.001. There was a significant positive association found in low serum vitamin D level among FGTB cases than controls.

Conclusion

Vitamin D is important for normal immune cell function, as well as regression of FGTB disease. FGTB may be controlled by regulating the serum vitamin D level concentration. This study suggests that, vitamin D deficiency and BMI is strongly associated with the progression of active FGTB disease which alters the expression of antimicrobial peptide and lead to the persistence of TB infection. Therefore, serum vitamin D level may play an important role in treatment of FGTB.

Activity of nitazoxanide and tizoxanide against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro and in whole blood culture

Nitazoxanide (NTZ) and its metabolite tizoxanide (TIZ) were studied as antimycobacterial agents in vitro (in mycobacterial growth indicator tube [MGIT] cultures) and in a whole blood bactericidal assay. Both NTZ and TIZ show high protein binding. In MGIT cultures (albumin concentration = 78 μM), inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth occurred at total drug concentrations of ≥16 μg/ml, whereas in whole blood cultures (albumin concentration = 350 μM), ≥128 μg/ml was required. Free drug fractions at these two conditions were estimated to be 69% and 2%, respectively. Co-incubation of NTZ and TIZ in human plasma for 72 h nearly completely eliminated their ability to inhibit mycobacterial growth in MGIT. Interactions with plasma proteins may limit the potential of NTZ and TIZ as drugs for human tuberculosis.

Characterization of mycobacterium isolates from pulmomary tuberculosis suspected cases visiting Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory at Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute, Addis Ababa Ethiopia: a cross sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To characterize mycobacterium isolates from pulmomary tuberculosis suspected cases visiting National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory at Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute, for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis from January 4 to February 22, 2010 with total samples of 263.

METHODS

Sputum specimens were collected and processed; the deposits were cultured. For culturing Lowenstein Jensen medium (LJ) and Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (BACTEC MGIT 960) were used. Capilia Neo was used for detecting NTM isolates from isolates of BACTEC MGIT 960. In Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa Ethiopia, Deletion typing PCR method for species identification (from confirmed Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolates by Capilia Neo) was done.

RESULTS

Out of 263 enrolled in the study, 124 and 117 of them were positive for mycobacterium growth by BACTEC MGIT 960 and LJ culture method, respectively. From BACTEC MGIT 960 positive media of 124 isolates, 117 were randomly taken to perform Capilia TB Neo test. From these 7 (6%) of them were found to be NTM and 110 (94%) were MTBC. From these 110 MTBC isolates, 81 of them were randomly taken and run by the deletion typing RD9 PCR method of molecular technique. Out of these 78 (96.3%) were found to be species of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and 3 (3.7%) were found to be not in the MTBC. Regarding the types of methods of culture media, Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (BACTEC MGIT 960) method was found to have excellent agreement (with kappa value of 0.78) with the routine method of LJ.

CONCLUSIONS

Pulmonary tuberculosis suspected cases visiting the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory at EHNRI that were confirmed to be pulmonary tuberculosis are caused by the species of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, hence treatment regimen including pyrazinamide can be applied to the patients as the first choice in the study area in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There is indication of the presence of NTM in patients visiting the tuberculosis reference laboratory and this is important because NTM is known to cause pulmonary disease similar with sign and symptom of pulmonary tuberculosis but different in treatment. BACTEC MGIT 960 has excellent agreement with LJ media but it has high tendency of having high contamination rate unless a better decontamination method is designed.