{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,26]],"date-time":"2025-04-26T04:04:25Z","timestamp":1745640265951,"version":"3.40.4"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"African Journals Online (AJOL)","issue":"1","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Mal. Med. J"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Purpose To investigate the characteristics of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)-positive population within the healthcare service area of Mzuzu Central Hospital in Malawi, with the objective of providing a scientific foundation for tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control strategies in the region.Methods This retrospective study encompassed 4,711 patients who underwent GeneXpert (GeneXpert MTB\/RIF or GeneXpert MTB\/RIF Ultra) testing. Data on laboratory results, demographics, HIV status, and residential addresses were analyzed.ResultsAmong 4,711 patients, 424 (9%) tested MTB-positive. A strong correlation was observed between MTB and HIV infection, as HIV\/TB co-infection accounted for 47.9% of MTB-positive cases (\u03c7\u00b2=46.311, p&lt;0.001). The MTB positivity rate for males, at 12.4% (291\/2341), is significantly higher ( \u03c7\u00b2=66.858, p&lt;0.001) than that for females, which stands at 5.6% (133\/2370), irrespective of HIV status. The age distribution of MTB-positive patients peaked in the 21-55 age bracket, with a median age of 37.0 (29.0, 47.0). The third quarter of each year, particularly September exhibited the highest positivity rate of 13.1%. Within Mzimba District, 87.8% of TB patients resided in Mzuzu city, with Luwinga (21.8%), Mchengautuwa (12.5%), and Zolozolo (9.9%) being the top three townships. Most newly diagnosed cases received treatment (85.1%), but the rifampicin resistance rate (4.7%) exceeded the national average.ConclusionWithin the healthcare catchment area of Mzuzu Central Hospital, MTB infection is significantly associated with HIV. Males show a higher MTB positivity rate than females. The study identifies high-risk age groups, temporal trends, and geographical TB patterns. Rifampicin resistance is a critical issue needing urgent attention.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4314\/mmj.v37i1.2","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,25]],"date-time":"2025-04-25T10:24:27Z","timestamp":1745576667000},"page":"10-15","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Characterization of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB)-Positive Individuals within the Healthcare Catchment Area of Mzuzu Central Hospital, Malawi"],"prefix":"10.4314","volume":"37","author":[{"given":"Ning","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Thomas Stuart","family":"Mughogho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rashid","family":"Kaseka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dokani Michael","family":"Ndovi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zhonglin","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jian","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiaoqin","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"2895","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,20]]},"container-title":["Malawi Medical Journal"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ajol.info\/index.php\/mmj\/article\/download\/291380\/274309","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ajol.info\/index.php\/mmj\/article\/download\/291380\/274309","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,25]],"date-time":"2025-04-25T10:24:28Z","timestamp":1745576668000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ajol.info\/index.php\/mmj\/article\/view\/291380"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,20]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,20]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4314\/mmj.v37i1.2","relation":{},"ISSN":["1995-7262","1995-7270"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1995-7262","type":"electronic"},{"value":"1995-7270","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,20]]}}}