Epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in Guangxi, China, 2018-2023: a retrospective study

Background Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis , continues to be one of the leading causes of death globally. We performed a retrospective cohort study in which individuals with suspected tuberculosis were evaluated the differences between tuberculosis and other clinically ill patients. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed patients with suspected tuberculosis who were hospitalized for pneumonia between January 2018 and December 2023 based on an electronic medical records database. Results 37,204 patients were included in this study, comprising 34,429 patients with tuberculosis and 2,775 patients with non-tuberculosis lung diseases. Male, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, cytomegalovirus, diabetes, and stroke are risk factors associated with an increased infection of tuberculosis. Poor adherence and human immunodeficiency virus infection are linked to the development of antibiotic resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Resistance to first-line antibiotics usually appears before second-line treatments, with higher resistance rates for first-line antituberculous drugs than for second-line drugs. Isoniazid resistance developed before rifampicin resistance. The degree of bacterial coinfection among patients with tuberculosis is diverse. Conclusion This study identified risk factors accounting for the infection and drug resistance of tuberculosis in Guangxi, China, from other illness. The diversity of coinfections among patients with tuberculosis highlights the importance of raising awareness about the multiplicity of infections.