Resistência a drogas em cepas de mycobacterium tuberculosis isoladas de amostras de escarro de pacientes ambulatoriais sintomáticos: Complexo de Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil / Drug resistance in mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from sputum samples from symptomatic outpatients: Complexo de Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

RESUMO

Para descrever a resistência a drogas em cepas de Mycobacterium tuberculosis isoladas de amostras de escarro de 263 pacientes suspeitos de tuberculose moradores do Complexo de Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, as culturas positivas entre outubro de 2000 e dezembro de 2002 foram submetidas a teste de sensibilidade para isoniazida, rifampicina, estreptomicina, etionamida e etambutol. Resistência a qualquer das drogas foi encontrada em 21,4 por cento (16/75) dos pacientes diagnosticados com tuberculose. Destes, 50 por cento (8/16) eram casos novos e 50 por cento (8/16) eram casos com tratamento anterior. A tuberculose multirresistente foi encontrada em 10,6 por cento (8/75) do total de pacientes, estando associada a tratamento anterior em 8 por cento (6/75) deles. Nossos resultados podem ter sido subestimados, pois M. tuberculosis não pôde ser isolado em todas as amostras positivas para bacilos álcool-ácido resistentes. Contudo, eles pelo menos revelam parte do problema.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to assess drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from sputum samples. To that end, sputum samples were collected from 263 patients suspected of having tuberculosis. All subjects lived in the Complexo de Manguinhos, which is located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cultures testing positive between October of 2000 and December of 2002 were tested to determine strain susceptibility to isoniazid, rifampicin, streptomycin, ETHionamide, and ETHambutol. Of the 75 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis, resistance to at least one of the drugs was found in 16 (21.4 percent). Of those 16 patients, 8 (50 percent) were new cases, and 8 (50 percent) had previously been treated. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis was identified in 8 (10.6 percent) of the 75 patients, being associated with previous treatment in 6 (8 percent). The incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis might have been underestimated, since M. tuberculosis was not isolated from all of the samples testing positive for acid-fast bacilli. However, at least, our findings shed some light on the problem.