Association between serum PGE2 levels and degree of acid-fast bacilli positivity in sputum of pulmonary tuberculosis patients

Abstract

BackgroundMycobacterium tuberculosis that infected apoptotic macrophages is triggered by PGE2. Apoptosis suppresses the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which is shown in the results of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) in the sputum that becomes a marker of the number of bacteria. ObjectiveAnalyzing the association between serum PGE2 levels and the positivity of AFB in the sputum of tuberculosis patients. MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out from August 2019–July 2020. Serum PGE2 levels and AFB levels in sputum were collected from participants. Data analysis used the Chi-square test and Spearman's correlation with p < 0.05. ResultsThe average participants’ serum PGE2 levels were 446.37 ± 510.27 pg/ml, with a median value of 216.95 pg/ml. Most participants had normal serum PGE2 levels (62.9%). Most participants had a high positivity of AFB in sputum (58.1%). Analysis of the association between serum PGE2 levels and the degree of AFB positivity in sputum obtained r = −0.036 and p-value = 0.780. ConclusionThere is a weak negative association between serum PGE2 levels and the degree of AFB positivity in sputum but not statistically significant.