European Society of Mycobacteriology - Instituto Nacional de Saúde ...

PP-57
ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF Rhodococcus AND Nocardia
GENDERS IN SPUTUM SAMPLES WITH TUBERCULOSIS SUSPECT
Leite, Sérgio Roberto A; Silva, Paulo; Sato, Daisy Nakamura; Santos, Adolfo; Carlos Barreto; Miyata, Marcelo; Leite, Clarice
Queico Fujimura
São Paulo State University
Species from Rhodococcus and Nocardia genders are partially alcohol acid resistant and could be isolated from clinical
samples (sputum, bronchial-alveolar rinsing and lung biopsy). These genders grow successfully in Löwenstein-Jensen
medium and can cause pulmonary infections similar to tuberculosis cases. Our purpose was to evaluate the presence of
these bacteria from 1636 sputum samples of patients with clinic suspect of pulmonary tuberculosis at Ribeirão Preto city,
São Paulo state, Brazil, between the years 2000 and 2002. The samples were analyzed in the laboratory of Instituto Adolfo
Lutz, Ribeirão Preto unit. From 426 acid-fast bacilli positive sputum samples, applying phenotypic methods and chemotaxonomy,
we isolated 296 mycobacteria (identified as 224 M. tuberculosis and 72 NTM), 29 Nocardia sp., 51 Rhodococcus
equi and 09 non-identified partially acid-fast bacilli (PAFB). The success of the treatment depends on early diagnosis, thus
the differential diagnostic between Mycobacterium, Nocardia and Rhodococcus genders deserves special importance.
Due to the high incidence of tuberculosis and the similarity in symptoms, probably the nocardiosis and rodococosis are
under-notified in Brazil. Therefore human health professionals need to observe carefully the importance of Rhodococcus
equi and/or Nocardia sp., that were found on 12% and 6.8% respectively of patients suspected with tuberculosis, attended
at Ribeirão Preto city between 2000 to 2002.
European Society of Mycobacteriology | 30 th Annual Congress | July 2009 | Porto - Portugal
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