Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection: A data based review on tuberculosis in Khuzestan, Iran

Abstract

The knowledge about tuberculosis situation in a community by collecting required information, enable the health policy makers to employ the appropriate measures to control the disease. The aim of this article was to review the information about tuberculosis in Khuzestan. A systematic review of the literature on tuberculosis from 2000 to 2010 using computerized bibliographic databases which include Pub Med, Current Content, Scopus and Iranmedex was made to find better understanding about tuberculosis in Khuzestan. Annual risk of infection rate in Khuzestan was 0.5% and the estimated case of smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis was approximately 25 per 100000 population. The main risk factors of tuberculosis and its mortality in the province were smoking, imprisonment, injection drug usage and diabetes. Multi-drug resistant M. tuberculosis was documented by using PCR method in tuberculosis patients in the region. However, extensively drug resistant M. tuberculosis which is an important problem expected to be concerned was not yet emerged in the region of study. According to reviewed information, it was concluded that teaching hospitals have an important role in improving pre-treatment counseling and national tuberculosis program indices, such as increased sputum positivity, cured rate and probably, decreased treatment failure and defaulted rate. © 2011 Academic Journals Inc.