[Laboratory identification of mycobacteria in respiratory samples from HIV-positive patients suspected of tuberculosis].

The records (2000 to 2004) of the Microbiology Laboratory of the Adolfo Lutz Institute in Santos, Brazil, were retrospectively analyzed regarding patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and suspected of pulmonary tuberculosis. 1,321 samples for diagnosis purposes were selected, corresponding to 880 suspected tuberculosis cases in 693 patients. There were 134 smear-positive samples and mycobacteria growth occurred in 188 cultures, corresponding to 161 confirmed cases.

Descriptive study of the frequency of nontuberculous mycobacteria in the Baixada Santista region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Objective: The present study aims at describing the frequency of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species identified through laboratory testing of samples collected from non-sterile sites (sputum), as well as its frequency in HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected individuals in the Baixada Santista region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in the period from 2000 to 2005.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of sputum smear microscopy results and culture was conducted based on the records on file at the Instituto Adolfo Lutz-Santos, the regional tuberculosis laboratory.

Results: We analyzed 194 NTM strains isolated from 125 individuals, of whom 73 (58.