The value of laboratory tests in the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Background And Aim: In the last decades, the inhabitants of the Romanian region known as Jiu Valley underwent changes in their social and economic status which determined changes in behaviour and health, which influenced their general health condition. One of the consequences was the exacerbation of tuberculosis. In order to control this situation, there was a need to increase the efficiency of diagnosis.

MRI as indicator of pulmonary tuberculosis activity: from morphological to molecular level assessment - a case report.

We present the case of an adult patient with active post-primary pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and discuss specific morphological and textural aspects found at high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lung. The 42-year-old man, heavy smoker, undertook a routine employment medical examination and was admitted to a referral pulmonology and TB center due to the abnormal findings seen on his chest radiography. The patient presented nonspecific symptoms, bilateral bronchial breath at pulmonary auscultation, inflammatory syndrome on the laboratory blood tests and positive sputum smears for acid-fast bacilli, which together with the typical aspect on the chest radiography lead to a diagnosis of post-primary pulmonary TB and administration of specific medication.

A case control study of risk factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis in romania: experience at a clinical hospital of pneumology.

Background And Aim: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health issue in Romania. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential demographic, socioeconomic and behavioral risk factors for TB among hospitalized patients in Romania.

Methods: This is a case-control study conducted between March 1st 2014 and March 30th 2015 at Leon Daniello Clinical Hospital of Pneumology, Cluj Napoca.

Morbidity by tuberculosis in the Jiu Valley: relation with diagnostic practice and the impact on therapeutic results.

Background And Aim: In the last two and a half decades the dynamics of tuberculosis has been modelled by social and economic conditions, with consequences on the life style, and effects on the onset and evolution of the disease. The Jiu Valley is an area with social problems: mining, mines closing down and ceasing activity, poverty. We looked for a relationship between changes of life style in the Jiu Valley and the dynamics of tuberculosis.

A joint cross-border investigation of a cluster of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Austria, Romania and Germany in 2014 using classic, genotyping and whole genome sequencing methods: lessons learnt.

Molecular surveillance of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) using 24-loci MIRU-VNTR in the European Union suggests the occurrence of international transmission. In early 2014, Austria detected a molecular MDR-TB cluster of five isolates. Links to Romania and Germany prompted the three countries to investigate possible cross-border MDR-TB transmission jointly.

Genomic analysis of globally diverse Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains provides insights into the emergence and spread of multidrug resistance.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), caused by drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is an increasingly serious problem worldwide. Here we examined a data set of whole-genome sequences from 5,310 M. tuberculosis isolates from five continents.

Evaluation of interleukin-10 levels in the plasma of patients with various stages of tuberculosis.

Unlabelled: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection remains one of the world's major causes of illness and mortality. A clear understanding of the host defense against Mtb is imperatively needed forthe control of this epidemic. When tuberculosis (TB) infection occurs, a variety of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines play a vital role in the pathogenesis of this disease.

The concordance between phenotypic and genotypic M. tuberculosis drug susceptibility tests results: observational study.

Unlabelled: Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) represents a major threat for TB control at the global level. Identification of mutations responsible for drug resistance by molecular methods can be used for rapid and specific detection of drug resistance. The aim of our study was to assess the concordance between phenotypic and genotypic tests results (GenoTypeMTBDRplus kit) for isoniazid and rifampicin resistance in M.

[Comparative study and sensitivity tests of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains using nitrate reductase and absolute concentrations methods].

Introduction: The alarming increase of cases of tuberculosis with resistant germs renders compulsory the orientation towards rapid and cheap methods that would allow large-scale testing of mycobacterial strains.

Aim: Evaluation of the performances of two phenotypic methods for mycobacteria sensitivity testing. nitrate reductase and absolute concentrations.

[Respiratory features of Aspergillus infection in eight years of pulmonology practice].

Aim: To evaluate clinical manifestations of Aspergillus infections in our pulmonology practice.

Methods: Between 2002-2009, we assessed retrospectively and prospectively, Aspergillus related diseases in patients admitted in Clinical Hospital of Pneumology from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Positive diagnosis was based on identification of Aspergillus speciae (A spp) on Sabouraud medium, pathological, or immunological proves.

[Tuberculosis in Romania. Problems and solutions].

Unlabelled: The analysis of the Management Unit of the National TB Programme (NTP) database, together with the reports of the TB county managers, allowed to the authors to identify some weaknesses of TB control in Romania in the recent years and to propose the appropriate measures.

Problems: The marked decrease in the reduction of TB cases reported annually from 2,761 in 2005-2006, to 145 in 2007-2008 and the stagnation of mortality rate: 7.5 per ten thousand in 2007 and 7.

Romanian anti-TB drugs resistance surveillance 2003-2004.

Unlabelled: Romania decided and initiated a DRS for anti-TB drugs at national level using the standardized methodology proposed by WHO and IUATLD. The DRS protocol was designed with technical assistance from WHO; the surveillance started in June 2003 and ended in June 2004. It was tested the susceptibility to the 4 first line anti-TB drugs: Isoniazide (H), Rifampicin (R), Streptomycin (S), Ethambutol (E).

[Comparison of the results of M. tuberculosis cultures on liquid media in MB/BacT system and solid Löwenstein Jensen media in selected patients].

Aim: The study was performed to evaluate the performances of the MB/BacT System in comparison to solid media Löwenstein Jensen for the recovery and the time for the detection of mycobacteria from specimens of selected patients from a dust and chemical polluted area, where the incidence of tuberculosis is higher than the mean county incidence- as control- and silicotuberculosis patients.

Material And Methods: We processed 193 selected specimens (156 as control and 37 from silicotuberculosis patients). All specimens have been processed for microscopic examination, culture on Löwenstein Jensen media and in Middlebrook7H9 liquid media in automatic system MB/BacT Sputum, bronchial aspirate and tongue swab had been previously decontaminated, but aseptically obtained specimens not, before inoculation onto the culture media.

[A simple enzyme test for proving the resistance to isoniazid of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains].

Resistance to isoniazid is the consequence of mutation in some genes or genomic sequences. One of them is katG gene, which encode catalase-peroxidase. The activity of this enzyme can be revealed by simultaneous test catalase-peroxidase.

Abdominal miliary tuberculosis in a patient with AIDS: a case report.

We present a 34 year old patient, intravenous drug user, hospitalized with fever, distortion of general status, dry irritating cough, abdominal colicative pains, and we established the diagnosis of HIV infection advanced stage/AIDS; his antecedents revealed (August 2000) abdominal tuberculosis not treated during the last 3 months. He presented a pneumonia with Pneumocystis carinii during hospitalization. Death was due to a colon perforation with secundary peritonitis.