Epidemiological Prevalence of Tuberculosis in the State of Maranhão between 2014 and 2016

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious-contagious disease and is considered the second leading cause of death in the world, second only to HIV [1]. Approximately 2 billion people were infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and in 2012, almost 8.6 million people developed TB, causing the death of 1.3 million, posing a challenge for health authorities to eliminate TB by 2050 [2]. In Maranhão, for example, of its 217 municipalities, eight were prioritized: Caxias, Codó, Imperatriz, Açailândia, Paço do Lumiar, São Luís, São José de Ribamar and Timon because they had a population of more than 100,000 inhabitants and a high bacillary load, State of Maranhão, by the Ministry of Health, for the control of TB [3]. São Luís, the state capital, accounts for 40% of total noti ications among priority municipalities, with 585 cases annually in the last ten years, in which the most prevalent clinical form is lung disease [4]. Human tuberculosis (TB) is caused by some Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Microbacteria (CMTB), and the causative agent needs molecular oxygen to grow and multiply. The etiologic agent is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, known as Bacillus de Koch (BK), and presents a chronic evolution affecting the lungs frequently. The spread of infection occurs through contaminated biological material, mainly aerosols from coughing or sneezing [5-7]. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a mycobacterium belonging to the genus Mycobacterium, from the Mycobacteriaceae family [8]. CMTB species are responsible for TB in humans and animals, with seven species of this complex: M.