Immunocompetent Versus Immunocompromised Tuberculosis (TB) Patients

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is one of the top 10 causes of mortality worldwide. It is estimated that in 2017, 10 million people were infected with TB, and 1.6 million died from the disease, including 0.3 million people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection . TB remains the primary killer of HIV-positive individuals. TB incidence is falling at about 2% per year . Airborne transmission of M. tuberculosis typically causes TB infection in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts and the disease is symptomatic and contagious .

TB and HIV infections are strictly linked together. TB is the most common opportunistic infection and causes high morbidity rate among people living with HIV. Because of the decrease in cell-mediated immunity, HIV alters the pathogenesis of TB, thereby expressively increasing the risk of TB in HIV-positive patients and eventually leading to more severe complications and forms of TB.