Viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum after pulmonary tuberculosis cure
Abstract Background Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) with detectable Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the sputum is a major source of transmission. In resource limited TB endemic settings, cure is declared by sputum smear examination for acid fast bacilli without performing culture. This may lead to erroneous treatment outcomes as viable bacteria may be missed by low sensitivity of direct smear method of acid fast staining. The aim of this study was to investigate if sterilizing cure is achieved among the new pulmonary TB cases declared cured by sputum smear conversion and the impact of addition of ethambutol in the continuation phase in achieving sterilizing cure. Methods New sputum smear positive pulmonary TB patients registered at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan were followed under standard Directly Observed Treatment Short Course strategy for six months. Half of these patients received ethambutol in addition to isoniazid and rifampicin in continuation phase. Sputum specimens were examined on microscopy at 2 months and end of treatment. Sputa of patients with negative direct smear examination at the end of treatment were cultured on solid medium. Results Total of 533 newly diagnosed sputum smear positive pulmonary TB patients were registered from November 2013 to March 2014. Among these 504 converted sputum negative at 2 months and 348 converted at the end of six months of treatment and declared cured. Sputa of 204/348 patients were cultured, and 12/204 (6%) were culture positive. Culture positivity at 6 month was not associated with bacterial load, smoking, diabetes, presence of cavities, history of contact with TB, age, gender, socioeconomic status, or addition of ethambutol in the continuation phase of treatment. Conclusion Six month treatment does not provide sterilizing cure in all pulmonary TB leading to risk for relapse. Direct smear examination is not enough to declare cure in TB patients. Addition of ethambutol in the continuation phase did not result in better sterilizing cure. These findings emphasize the importance of performing culture and follow-up of patients to monitor relapse in routine TB care. More studies are needed to find the optimal duration of treatment for individual or carefully selected groups of patients.