Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis in southern Brazil

Authors

  • Mariana Quaresma de Souza Universidade Federal do Rio Grande
  • Juliana Lemos Dal Pizzol Núcleo de Pesquisa em Microbiologia Médica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0759-111X
  • Ana Bárbara Scholante Silva Núcleo de Pesquisa em Microbiologia Médica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6816-2055
  • Felipe Furtado Gomes Riet Vargas Núcleo de Pesquisa em Microbiologia Médica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil; Hospital Universitário Dr. Miguel Riet Corrêa Jr (HU-FURG/Ebserh), Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0079-7307
  • Denise Silva Brião Laboratório Municipal de Análises Clínicas, Secretaria de Município da Saúde, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8569-777X
  • Carolina Almeida Martinato Laboratório Municipal de Análises Clínicas, Secretaria de Município da Saúde, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9798-9323
  • Andrea von Groll Núcleo de Pesquisa em Microbiologia Médica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6727-372X
  • Pedro Eduardo Almeida da Silva Núcleo de Pesquisa em Microbiologia Médica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1666-1295
  • Ivy Bastos Ramis Núcleo de Pesquisa em Microbiologia Médica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2283-5087

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17058/reci.v12i2.17191

Abstract

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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Published

2022-08-05

How to Cite

Quaresma de Souza, M., Lemos Dal Pizzol, J., Scholante Silva, A. B. ., Furtado Gomes Riet Vargas, F., Silva Brião, D., Almeida Martinato, C., von Groll, A., Almeida da Silva, P. E., & Bastos Ramis, I. (2022). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis in southern Brazil. Revista De Epidemiologia E Controle De Infecção, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.17058/reci.v12i2.17191

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 2 (2022)

Section

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

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Copyright (c) 2022 Mariana Quaresma de Souza, Juliana Lemos Dal Pizzol, Ana Bárbara Scholante Silva, Felipe Furtado Gomes Riet Vargas, Denise Silva Brião, Carolina Almeida Martinato, Andrea von Groll, Pedro Eduardo Almeida da Silva, Ivy Bastos Ramis

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