Tuberculosis among the homeless and inmates kept in custody and in penitentiary institutions in the Silesia region.

INTRODUCTION: There are more than 10 million prisoners in the world. Tuberculosis incidence is 10-100 times higher in prisoners than in the general population. Inmates have close contact with other prisoners and with prison workers and visitors, so tubercle bacilli may be easily spread. Most of the inmates come back to normal life and contact with the general population. The aim of the study was to assess active tuberculosis incidence among prisoners and homeless persons in the Silesia region. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In total 897 people entered the study, of whom 720 were Silesian penitentiary system inmates, and 177 were homeless. BACTEC MGIT fast TB detection system and GenoType Mycobacteria Direct test were used. Drug susceptibility testing was done using SIRE KIT and PZA KIT. RESULTS: Tuberculosis was diagnosed in 13 out of 897 persons (1.45%): in 11 out of 720 inmates (1.53%) and in 2 out of 177 homeless persons (1.13%). Data concerning drug susceptibility were obtained for 11 persons. M. tuberculosis strains isolated from eight persons were susceptible to four first-line antituberculosis drugs (streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol), while M. tuberculosis strains isolated from three persons were drug-resistant. One out of three isolated strains was resistant to ethambutol, but susceptible to streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampin, and pirazynamide. The second strain was resistant to streptomycin and pyrazinamide but susceptible to isoniazid, rifampin, and ethambutol. The third strain was susceptible to rifampin but resistant to the other four tested drugs. According to the obtained data, culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis was 100 times more frequent in the examined population than in the general population of the Silesia region in the same period of time. CONCLUSIONS: The health project enabled effective detection of tuberculosis in risk groups and should be continued in the following years. The set of the applied diagnostic methods allowed the detection of in the studied subpopulations people suffering from tuberculosis. Patients were treated with antituberculosis drugs that would stop them from spreading the disease to other people.

[Quantitative analysis of sigma genes expression in Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures exposed to rifampicin and isoniazid]. / Analiza profilu ekspresji genów kodujacych czynniki sigma w hodowlach Mycobacterium tuberculosis eksponowanych na ryfampicyne oraz izoniazyd.

The aim of the study was quantitative analysis of five genes encoding Mycobacterium tuberculosis sigma factors sigA, sigE, sigF, sigH, and sigI as well as the 85B reference gene known as the mycobacterial viability marker, in cultures exposed to rifampicin and isoniazid. The mRN levels were assessed using QRT-PCR technique, in the automated system of real time quantification with the ABI PRISM 7700 Sequence Detector System (TaqMan). The number of each analyzed gene transcript copies was expressed as a number of mRNA per 1 eg of isolated total RNA. In cultures exposed to the tested chemicals the number of 85B mRNA copies declined as compared to the controls (without tested chemicals). There was no detectable expression of sigA and sigI in the control cultures. Both, rifampicin and isoniazid induced expression of sigA and sigI genes. The sigE gene expression increased during exposure to isoniazid and decreased under rifampicin exposure conditions. The sigF mRNA was detected neither in the control culture, nor in cultures exposed to rifampicin or isoniazid. Both tested chemicals caused decrease of sigH expression.

[Detection of 85B mRNA in Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures using the quantitative QRT-PCR (TaqMan) method]. / Wykrywanie mRNA genu 85B (fbpB) w hodowlach Mycobacterium tuberculosis technika QRT-PCR.

The paper presents the in-house method of quantitative analysis of 85 B mRNA in Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures coming from seeded biological material taken from tuberculosis patients. After the proper culture time, the total RNA was isolated. Than, a one-step QRT-PCR was performed. High specificity and sensitivity of the method was confirmed e.g. by participation in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis QC Proficiency Panel Programme (European Quality Control for Molecular Diagnostics, Glasgow, Scotland, UK).