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Abstract Objective Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species are increasingly being isolated and have become a key factor affecting public health by causing pulmonary diseases. Most NTM species do not respond to conventional tuberculosis (TB) drugs. This study aimed to identify NTM isolated from suspected pulmonary TB patients from the Zhejiang province and analyze their distribution in the region. Methods A total of 1,113 NTM isolates from patients suspected to be suffering from acid-fast bacilli-positive tuberculosis were identified at the species level, using the CapitalBio Mycobacterium identification array and polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of 16S-23S gene internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 16S rRNA, and hsp65. Results Of the 23,138 isolates, we identified 1,102 NTM (4.8%), mainly including Mycobacterium intracellulare (54.81%, 604/1,102), M. chelonae-M. abscessus (16.52%, 182/1,102), M. avium (13.16%, 145/1,102), M. kansasii (8.17%, 90/1,102), and M. gordonae (3.27%, 36/1,102). Conclusion The distribution of NTM species observed in patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis provides guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of NTM pulmonary diseases.
ABSTRACT
Objective@#To explore the changes of awareness of tuberculosis and access to tuberculosis-related information among students in Zhejiang Province.@*Methods@#There were 554 students younger than 30 y were included in the study during April to sept. of 2014 and during sept. to Nov. of 2018. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression were conducted to find the related factors of knowing about tuberculosis and related knowledge. Chi-square test was used to analyze the changes of ways access to tuberculosis-related information.@*Results@#There were 440 participants (79.4%) aware of tuberculosis, including 215(85.7%) in 2014 and 225(74.3%) in 2018. The factors affecting awareness on tuberculosis were female ( AOR=1.60, 95%CI =1.04-2.47) vs male; and junior middle school( AOR=1.99, 95%CI =1.03-3.85), high school( AOR=3.27, 95%CI =1.57-6.81), college or higher ( AOR=6.73，95%CI =2.55-17.76) vs primary school or lower; year 2018 ( AOR=0.50, 95%CI =0.31-0.80) vs 2014. There was no significant statistical difference in the overall knowledge scores of tuberculosis between the students in the two surveys. In 2018, the proportion of tuberculosisrelated information accessed from the Internet (forum, WeChat, Weibo.) and community activities (assembly promotion)(75.10%, 26.70%) was higher than that of 2014(36.20%, 13.10%)( χ 2=68.88, 12.79, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#The proportion of students aware of tuberculosis and TB control in Zhejiang Province were not significantly improved. Higher proportion of students get tuberculosis-related information from the new media. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen health education of tuberculosis in schools, especially through the usage of new media apart from traditional pathways.