Browsing by Author "Niemann Stefan"

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    Pulmonary tuberculosis: Virulence of Mycobacterium africanum and relevance in HIV co-infection
    (ELSEVIER, 2008) Niemann Stefan; Gyapong John; Owusu-Dabo Ellis; Osei Ivy; Kubica Tanja....et al
    Although Mycobacterium africanum is being isolated in a significant proportion of cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in West Africa, its pathogenic potential remains a matter of discussion. Recent reports leave the question of whether M. africanum causes more severe pathology than M. tuberculosis or resembles opportunistic pathogens and might gain importance in the course of the HIV pandemic. Patients with pulmonary tuberculosis associated withM. africanum (n Z 556) and M. tuberculosis (n Z 1350) were studied in Ghana, West Africa, and compared regarding self-reported signs and symptoms, chest radiography, HIV status, mycobacterial drug resistance and mycobacterial clustering as determined by spoligotyping and IS6110 fingerprints. The rate of M. africanum infections was similar in HIV-positive (27%) and HIV-negative (30%) patients. M. africanum clustered less than M. tuberculosis (21% vs 79%; OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.3e0.5; p < 0.001) corresponding to its lower prevalence (29% vs 70%).