Emerg Infect Dis. 2021 Mar;27(3):872-879. doi: 10.3201/eid2703.204253.
Vietnam, a high tuberculosis (TB) burden country, conducted national TB prevalence surveys in 2007 and 2017. In both surveys participants were screened by using a questionnaire and chest radiograph; sputum samples were then collected to test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis by smear microscopy and Löwenstein-Jensen culture. Culture-positive, smear-positive, and smear-negative TB cases were defined by laboratory results, and the prevalence of tuberculosis was compared between the 2 surveys. The results showed prevalence of culture-positive TB decreased by 37% (95% CI 11.5%-55.4%), from 199 (95% CI 160-248) cases/100,000 adults in 2007 to 125 (95% CI 98-159) cases/100,000 adults in 2017. Prevalence of smear-positive TB dropped by 53% (95% CI 27.0%-69.7%), from 99 (95% CI 78-125) cases/100,000 adults to 46 (95% CI 32-68) cases/100,000 adults; smear-negative TB showed no substantial decrease. Replacing microscopy with molecular methods for primary diagnostics might enhance diagnosis of pulmonary TB cases and further lower TB burden.
越南是一个结核病（TB）负担较重的国家，分别于 2007 年和 2017 年开展了全国结核病患病率调查。两次调查均采用问卷调查和胸部 X 光检查对参与者进行筛查；随后收集痰样进行结核分枝杆菌涂片显微镜检查和 Löwenstein-Jensen 培养以检测。根据实验室结果定义了培养阳性、涂片阳性和涂片阴性结核病病例，并比较了两次调查的结核病患病率。结果显示，培养阳性结核病的患病率下降了 37%（95%CI11.5%-55.4%），从 2007 年的每 10 万人中有 199 例（95%CI160-248）降至 2017 年的每 10 万人中有 125 例（95%CI98-159）。涂片阳性结核病的患病率下降了 53%（95%CI27.0%-69.7%），从每 10 万人中有 99 例（95%CI78-125）降至每 10 万人中有 46 例（95%CI32-68）；而涂片阴性结核病则没有明显下降。用分子方法代替显微镜检查作为原发性诊断方法可能会提高对肺结核病例的诊断能力，并进一步降低结核病负担。
