Bovine tuberculosis is a major infectious disease of the cattle. In this study, 85 M. bovis isolates from 162 lymph nodes, obtained from a herd of cattle on a farm in southern Brazil, were evaluated using spoligotyping and VNTR. The strains were grouped into five clusters and five orphans, showing a heterogenic genetic profile, what could represent diverse geographic origins of the introduced cows and/or the frequent movement of cattle between different properties.

Objective: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are a heterogeneous group of bacteria that are widely distributed in nature and associated with opportunistic infections in humans. The aims of this study were to identify NTM in patients with suspected tuberculosis who presented positive cultures and to evaluate the genetic diversity of strains identified as Mycobacterium avium. Methods: We studied pulmonary and extrapulmonary samples obtained from 1,248 patients. The samples that tested positive on culture and negative for the M. tuberculosis complex by molecular identification techniques were evaluated by detection of the hsp65 and rpoB genes and sequencing of conserved fragments of these genes. All strains identified as M. avium were genotyped using the eight-locus mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable-number tandem-repeat method. Results: We found that NTM accounted for 25 (7.5%) of the 332 mycobacteria isolated. Of those 25, 18 (72%) were M. avium, 5 (20%) were M. abscessus, 1 (4%) was M. gastri, and 1 (4%) was M. kansasii. The 18 M. avium strains showed high diversity, only two strains being genetically related. Conclusions: These results highlight the need to consider the investigation of NTM in patients with suspected active tuberculosis who present with positive cultures, as well as to evaluate the genetic diversity of M. avium strains.

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Background and objectives: to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis in different settings is essential to guide the establishment of appropriate TB control strategies. This study aimed to assess the influence of COVID-19 pandemic in laboratory diagnosis of TB in patients tested and diagnosed for TB. Methods: a data survey was carried out in the database of laboratories that perform TB diagnosis for the public health system in Rio Grande city (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Results: there was a decrease of 1,368 to 735 (reduction of 46.3%) in the number of patients tested for TB in public diagnostic services in 2019 and 2020, respectively, and a decrease of 197 to 119 (reduction of 39.6%) in the number of new TB cases diagnosed. In contrast, the positivity rate was 14.4% in 2019 and 16.2% in 2020. Moreover, it was observed that the laboratory that performs the diagnostic service for Primary Health Care was the most affected, when compared to Tertiary Health Care. Conclusion: as a consequence of measures to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, there was a reduction in TB testing and in the detection of new cases, especially in Primary Health Care, where patients with less need for hospitalization are received.

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